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Biographical History
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VOLUME II.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
JUDGE WILLIAM H. ROBEKTSON.
The distinguished gentleman whose name introduces this memoir had
passed his seventy-fifth mile-post when death released him from this mortal
life, on December 6, 1898, and could look back with just pride over a public
career replete with activity and usefulness. No one who has been a citizen
of White Plains is more deserving of honorable mention in the present work
than he.
Mr. Robertson was born at the family homestead in Bedford, Westches-
ter county, October 10, 1823, a son of Henry Robertson. His boyhood was
spent on his father's farm, and his early education was obtained in the public
schools of the district in which they lived and at Union Academy, in Bedford.
For some time he taught school in Bedford and Lewisboro. Early selecting
the law for his profession, he pursued its study in the office of Judge Robert
S. Hart, in Bedford, and in 1847 was admitted to the bar. In 1854 he
formed a partnership with Odle Close, under the firm name of Close & Rob-
ertson, for the practice of law, and this association continued until his death.
The Judge's taste for politics had its beginning while he was yet in his
'teens. He took a deep interest in the Harrison campaign of 1840, in 1844
cast his first presidential vote, for Henry Clay, and the next spring was elected
to the position of superintendent of town schools, which he filled for several
years. He was four times supervisor of Bedford and twice chairman of the
board of supervisors.
His legislative career began in 1848, when he was elected to the assem-
bly, and he was re-elected the following year. In 1853 he was chosen to the
state senate, where he at once took a prominent position. Among the public
acts, he introduced a bill for establishing the department of public instruc-
tion, which may justly be considered one of the most important events in the
educational history of the state. In 1855 he was elected county judge, was
twice re-elected to that responsible position, and thus filled the office twelve
years. He served six years as inspector of the Seventh Brigade of New York
militia, was chairman of the military committee appointed by Governor Mor-
gan in 1862 to raise and organize state troops in the eighth senatorial district,
and was commissioned to superintend the draft in Westchester county. In
i860 he was a member of the electoral college, and voted for Abraham Lin-
coln. He supported him again in the national convention of 1864, and during,.
482 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
his whole administration was one of his most loyal and faithful adherents.
In 1866 he was elected a representative to the fortieth congress, and whiie a.
member of that body he voted for the impeachment of President Johnson,
and took an active part in the legislation which led to the restoration of the
southern states to the Union.
Judge Robertson's second term of service in the state senate began m
1872 and continued without interruption for a period of ten years, during
the last eight of which he was president pro tevi. of that body. He served
as chairman of the committees on commerce and navigation, rules, literature
and judiciary, being for eight years at the head of the judiciary com-
mittee, a place of great responsibility, which he ably filled. In 1876 he
was one of three gentlemen who, at the request of the president, visited
Florida to supervise the counting of the votes for the office of president. On
two occasions — in 1872 and 1879 — the personal and political friends of Judge
Robertson made a strong effort to place him in nomination for governor of
New York, and, while he was each time defeated, the support given him was
indeed flattering.
In February, 1880, Judge Robertson was appointed a delegate to repre-
sent his state in the national convention to be held in Chicago in June. A
vote was passed at the state convention instructing its delegates to vote as a
unit, the purpose being to enable the majority of the delegates to carry it en
masse for General Grant. Soon after the adjournment of the state conven-
tion. Judge Robertson published a letter in the Albany Journal, in which he
repudiated the principles of the unit rule, and declared for Blaine. The let-
ter attracted attention throughout the country and gave its author great
prominence in the opposition to the "third-term" movement. It is general-
ly conceded that it was his leadership and organizing ability, more than those
of any other man, that broke the power of the "unit" rule in Republican
conventions and defeated the "third-term " candidate.
In March, 1881, Mr. Robertson was nominated by President Garfield for
collector of the port of New York. His political acts having been distaste-
ful to the senators from his state, they demanded the withdrawal of his nom-
ination by the president. This being refused, a bitter contest followed,
which was ended by the resignation of the senators in May and the comfirm-
ation of Mr. Robertson soon afterward. He did not, however, assume the
collectorship until the first of August, and the legislature (he being in the
senate) did not adjourn until late in July. His judicial and legislative ex-
perience had prepared him for the most difficult duty of the position, the
consideration and decision of intricate points of revenue law, — and he dis-
charged its obligations to the satisfaction of the importers and with the al-
most universal commendation of the public press.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 488
Mr. Robertson was conspicuous and influential in local and state con-
ventions for many years, took an active part in the national conventions of
1864, 1876, 1880 and 1884, and was for fifteen years a member of the Re-
publican state committee. In his political life he was remarkably successful,
having never been defeated when a candidate before the people, although his
principal canvasses have been made in a district in which the party majority
■was against him, He achieved this result by the strength of his personal
■character, his fidelity to friends, his sincere and uniform courtesy, his unques-
tioned integrity and his legal and business ability. He possessed, in an un-
usual degree, the "genius of common sense," an acute knowledge of human
nature and thorough self-control. He was also of a literary taste and of
studious habits, and valued no less than his political honors the degree of
LL. D., which was conferred upon him by Williams College in 1876.
In 1865 Judge Robertson married Miss Mary E. Ballard, a daughter of
Hon. Horatio Ballard, who was a prominent lawyer of Cortland county. New
York, and well known throughout the state. In 1869 he built the house at
Katonah where he resided until his death. In the community where he
lived he was a judicious and willing counselor of all who sought his advice,
a liberal contributor to religious and charitable objects, a public-spirited citi-
zen and a valued friend.
GEORGE N. RIGBY.
The gentleman whose name furnishes the title to this brief biographical
•sketch is a rising lawyer and popular citizen of Yonkers, still yojng in years
and with worthy achievements which foreshadow his future success. He
received his primary education in the public schools of Yonkers and was grad-
uated from the high school in 1891. He was graduated in the electrical
engineering course at Cornell University in 1895, and in law from the New
York Law School in 1897. Thus equipped educationally, and endowed with
first-class talents intellectually, he entered upon the practice of his profession
in Yonkers, determined that his career at the bar should be a successful one,
and he is amply meeting the expectations of his most enthusiastic well-
wishers.
He early took an interest in political affairs and views national questions
•from a Republican point of view. He is financial secretary of the Republic-
an Club of Yonkers, was secretary of the assembly convention of 1898, and
has been a delegate to county, judicial and various other conventions. He
has ably filled the office of justice of the peace since November, 1896.
Mr. Rigby is a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and other college
iraternities, and of the Cornell University Club, of New York.
484 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
He was married April 6, 1897, to Miss Maude Lawrence, of Yonkers,
daughter of William Fred and Mary (Weddle) Lawrence.
Franklin H. Rigby, Mr. Rigby's father, is a prominent resident of Yon-
ers, and is connected with the Prudential Life Insurance Company in New
York city. He married Mary Mockridge, daughter of George N. and Marinda
(Lyon) Mockridge. Her father was a wholesale hardware merchant in New-
ark, New Jersey, and her mother was a descendent of " Robert Bond, the
planter, " of Elizabethport, and also of Henry Lyon, a founder of Lyon's Farms,
New Jersey, and a representative of another distinguished old family of New
Jersey. Franklin Rigby's mother was, before her marriage. Miss Mary E.
Adams, who descended in the Virginia line of Adamses. Elihu Bond, one of
the ancestors of Mrs. Franklin Rigby, was captain in the patriot army during
the Revolutionary war, and performed gallant service for the cause of inde-
pendence. Mr. Rigby has one brother, Frank Rigby, Jr., and three sisters,
named in the order of their birth, Norma, Pansy and Florence.
George N. Mockridge, after whom George N. Rigby was named, was a
son of Elihu Mockridge, who was one of Newark's wealthiest land-owners
during the early part of this century. The old homestead, which is still stand-
ing on Franklin street, has been used by the family for over one hundred
years, and is still entailed, somewhat after the manner of English estates.
Elihu Mockridge was the son of William Mockridge, who came over
from Wales as a boy some time before the Revolution. He married Jonnah
Baldwin, who was a descendant of Joseph Baldwin and wife, 7ic'e Sarah
Cooley, who were among the first settlers of New Jersey.
HICKSON F. HART, M. D.
The subject of this sketch is one of the leading young physicians of York-
town, New York, and belongs to a family which has long been identified
with Westchester county. Hickson Field Hart, his grandfather, was one of
the first settlers of the county. He married Mary Ann Knowlton, a native
of the county, and their son Stephen L. was the father of our subject.
Stephen L. Hart and his wife, whose maiden name was Jane Drake Morgan,
are the parents of five children, namely: Hickson F., whose name heads
this sketch; Alonzo K., of Peekskill, New York; Stephen B., engaged in
business in Brooklyn, New York; Joseph Waldo and Georgianna. The father
has long been a man of prominence in the county, affiliating with the Demo-
cratic party and taking an active interest in its cause. Several terms he has
served as sheriff of the county. He is now engaged in farming.
Hickson Field Hart entered the Peekskill Military Academy when a boy
and is a graduate of that institution, with the class of 1882. Then he took
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 485
"up the study of medicine, pursuing his studies under the tuition of Dr. A. O.
Snowdon, of Peekskill, New York, and in due time engaged in the practice
of this profession. For six years he has been located at Yorktown, and has
been successful in gaining a large and lucrative practice here. The Doctor
is a member of the Westchester County Medical Society, of which he has
served as vice-president, and is also a prominent member of the New York
State Medical Society, at Albany.
Dr. Hart was married, June 25, 1891, to Miss Mona Ward, a native of
Albany, New York, and a daughter of Thomas Ward and Maria (Van Buren)
Ward, his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Ward had six children, of whom four are
living, two sons and two daughters, — Julia Robinson, Mona, Thomas Ward,
Jr., and Albert. Dr. and Mrs. Hart have two sons, — Ward Van Buren,
born October 2, 1893, and Morgan Drake, born January 8, 1899. Mrs.
Hart was educated in Albany, New York, and is a woman of culture and
refinement. She is a member of the Presbyterian church, while the Doctor
is a Methodist, of which church his parents are members. Socially he is
identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and his political views
are those set forth by the Democratic party.
HENRY R. HICKS.
The ancestral history of the Hicks family is one of close indentification
•with the colony of Massachusetts. The Mayflower, which brought the little
band of Pilgrims to the shores of the New World, was followed the next
year by the stanch little barque Fortune, which, sailing from London,
arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, on the nth of November, 1621. Among
its passengers was Robert Hicks, the founder of the family in America.
He was a leather-dresser from Bermondesey street, Southwark, London.
His father, James Hicks, was lineally descended from Sir Ellis Hicks, who
was knighted by Edward, the Black Prince, on the battle-field of Poinctiers,
Septem'ber 9, 1356, for bravery in capturing a set of colors from the French.
Margaret, the wife of Robert Hicks, with her children, came to America in
the ship Ann, which arrived at Plymouth in the latter part of June, 1622.
The family settled in Duxbury, Massachusetts, but two of the sons, John
and Stephen, about 1642, removed to Long Island. In October, 1645,
Governor Kieft granted a patent to Thomas Farrington, John Hicks and
others for ,the township of Flushing, Long Island. John Hicks seems to
have taken a leading part in the affairs of the settlement, and was appointed
at various times to fill the most important offices. His name and that of
his son Thomas appear in connection with almost every public measure for
many years.
486 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Robert Hicks was twice married. He first wedded Elizabeth Morgan
and had four children, — Elizabeth, Thomas, John and Stephen. Before leav-
ing England he married Margaret Winslow, and their four children were
named Samuel, Ephraim, Lydia and Phebe. John Hicks, the second of the
family, married Rachel Starr, and of their children — Thomas, Hannah and
Elizabeth — the eldest was the second in the line of descent to him whose
name heads this sketch. Thomas Hicks wedded Mary Washburn, and their
children were Thomas and Jacob. The mother died and he later married
Mary Doughty, by whom he had ten children, namely: Isaac, William,
Stephen, John, Charles, Benjamin, Phebe, Charity, Mary and Elizabeth. Of
this family Isaac Hicks married a lady whose first name was Elizabeth, but
whose surname is not known. Their children were Charles, Benjamin,
Isaac, Gilbert, James, Thomas, Henry, John, Edward, Margaret, Mary.
Isaac Hicks, the son of Isaac and Elizabeth Hicks, married Charity Esmond,
and their union was blessed with five children, Edward, Charles, Amy,
Sarah and Margaret. The second son, Charles, was the great-grandfather
of our subject. He married Mary Hicks, and their children were Rodman,
Oliver, Charles, Sarah, Philetta and Lindley.
Oliver Hicks, the grandfather of our subject, was born on Long Island
and there spent the greater part of his life. He married Susan Vermillyea,
whose father was a resident of Horseneck, Westchester county. By occupa-
tion he was a farmer and at the time of the Revolutionary war he loyally
served his country as a colonel in the American army. Unto Oliver and
Susan Hicks were born two sons and three daughters: Charles, Eliza, Scott,
Susan A. and Jane.
Charles Hicks, the father of our subject, was born on Long Island, near
Hicksville, and was a relative of the celebrated Elias Hicks, the founder of
the Hicksite branch of Friends, one of the early branches of that society.
Mr. Hicks became a member of the firm of Schenck, Downing & Company,
dealers in paints and glass at Nos. io6 and io8 Fulton street. New York city,
and thus continued for many years, having formerly been engaged in
merchandising. For about ten years before his death he lived retired from
business cares, enjoying a well earned competence, which supplied him with
all the necessities and many of the luxuries of life. In politics he was a
stanch Democrat, but voted for Abraham Lincoln and was a strong Union
man, placing the country's good before party preferment at the time of the
nation's peril. He was also one of the first to advocate the issue of bonds
for the purpose of carrying on the war. In his early life he served as a cap-
tain in the Twenty-seventh Regiment of the New York state militia, and was
ever a valued citizen of the community in which he made his home. He
died May 29, 1866, at the age of sixty-nine years. His wife, who bore the
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 487
maiden name of Jane Ann Sackett, was a representative of one of the prom-
inent old families of Westchester county. She is deceased, and, like the
others of the name, lies buried in the cemetery at Bedford.
Henry R. Hicks, the only child of Charles and Jane A. (Sackett) Hicks, was
born in New York city, December 14, 1835, ^"d pursued his education in
school No. 7, and in the grammar school of Columbia College. At the age
of sixteen he entered upon his business career, securing a cletkship with the
firm of John Haslam & Sons, hardware merchants, with whom he continued
until 1858, and after that was in the employ of Read & Towsley until i860.
From that year until 1874 he was employed in the engineering department of
the Brooklyn navy yard, acting as storekeeper from 1865 until the close of
his connection with that business. On resigning his place, in 1874, he
retired to private life and has since resided in the seventh ward in Yonkers,
upon a farm of thirty acres, which has been his place of abode for thirty-six
years. He was one of the organizers of the Citizens National Bank, and
from the beginning has continuously served on its directorate, he and Charles
Dusenberry being the only charter members of the bank who are now acting
as directors.
For many years Mr. Hicks has occupied positions of distinctive prefer-
ment in connection with the public life of Yonkers. In his political affilia-
tions he is a stanch Republican, and has long been a recognized leader in the
ranks of the party. From the old fourth ward of the city he was elected a
member of the city council in 1872, and served in that capacity for six con-
secutive terms, — a longer continuous service than any other member of that
body. His long retention in the office was certainly a high tribute to his
ability and to the fidelity with which he discharged his duties, and for three
terms he had the honor of being president of the council. He exercised his
official prerogative for the benefit and progress of the city, supporting all
measures which he believed would advance the general welfare. He has
been one of the police commissioners of Yonkers since September, 1892, when
he was appointed to that office, and by reappointment, received in 1897, he
will continue to serve until 1901. Socially he is a member of the Rising Star
Lodge of Masons.
On the 2ist of May, 1863, Mr. Hicks was united in marriage to Miss
Isabell Weed, a daughter of Isaac Weed, an agriculturist of Yonkers. They
have two daughters: Eveline W., wife of Dr. Karl H. Krober, a physician
of Yonkers; and Isabell, wife of Rudolph Eickemeyer, Jr. Such in brief is
the history of one who for many years has been a distinguished and repre-
sentative citizen of Yonkers. In all his business dealing and official duties he
has been scrupulously exact and fair. In the former he has been very suc-
cessful, as the result of ability, discrimination and enterprise. The life of
488 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
such a man is an object lesson of real value to the observing and thoughtful.
It brings out prominently the characteristics that win, offers encouragement
to young men who are willing to work with their minds and with their hands,
and aiiords another proof of the familiar adage that there is no royal road to
wealth or distinction in this republic. The^ achievement depends upon the
man.
JACOB READ.
Mr. Jacob Read, a representative of the Yonkers people who were
engaged in farming during 1825 and 1855 ^^'^ intervening years, is still (1896)
a resident of the town, which for fifteen years he served as supervisor. In
189s he said, in substance: '
I came to Yonkers in February, 1829, when a boy in my eleventh year. I recall distinctly
the prominent farmers of Yonkers from 1829 to 1855, and their mode of life. I also recall the
kind of crops they raised, and how they marketed their produce. Through the '20s and '30s
and up to the '40s, the principal crops were pats, rye, wheat, corn, hay, potatoes and pickles.
The potatoes were of the "blue nose " and " kidney " variety. Afterward came the "Early
Rose." We did not have, as farmers do now, a number of varieties, all dug out of the same
hill. The fruits were apples, peaches, pears and cherries. The apples were " Pound Sweets,"
" Catheads," and " Fall Pippins." The peaches of Yonkers in the latter part of the '30s and the
first of the '40s were very fine. The cherries were of the Dyckman variety, a sour cherry and
excellent. We used to call tomatoes "love apples;" but nobody ate them. I never ate tomatoes
until 1847. We had good walnuts and chestnuts. The garden truck the farmers raised was
for their own use only. None was sent to market until 1835. All the cabbage for market, for
example, was raised on Bergen Point and Long Island. Nor did the Yonkers farmers send any
milk to New York. It was kept in milk-rooms, for there were no ice-houses. The milk-rooms
had stone bottoms, and were cool. Tables in those days were supplied with plenty of fresh
meat. I remember that Mr. David Horton, with whom I lived, would kill a sheep in summer,
or a lamb or a pig in the fall, so as to have fresh meat, and would send a quarter over to Mr.
Vermilye Fowler's, or Mr.' Nattie Valentine's, or Mr. David Oakley's; and when they killed, they
returned the favor. The poultry in the farm-yards also supplied the tables. Barrels of salted
meats and hogsheads of cider, as also butter, lard, turnips and potatoes stocked the cellar-
Blacksmiths, wheelwrights and carpenters made many agricultural instruments which they are
not expected to make to-day.
Beef and ham were smoked in the farmers' smoke-houses. Up to 1845 sheep were kept.
The lambs were sold in New York. A man came up from Manhattan island during a period of
years and bought lambs of the farmers. Pork and poultry were also sent to New York. Large
droves of cattle and sheep from the north passed through Yonkers down the Albany post-road.
Perhaps as many as two hundred or two hundred and fifty cows and from three hundred to five
hundred sheep would be in a single drove. Two or three men or two men and a boy could
manage a drove, as the line fences were all up and the gates were closed. The drovers " put
up " at old Uncle Post Dyckman's, on the other side of Kingsbridge.
Hay was sold in New York. Marketing was done by land as well as by river. A team
would be sent to New York with a load on Sunday night in order to be there for the Monday
morning market. The team was returned the next day and again sent down on Wednesday
back Thursday, and down again on J-Viday. Butter sold at from ten cents to a shilling a pound!
Loose sugar, that is, brown sugar for every-day use, was purchased in quantities of seven
pounds. White sugar was purchased by the " loaf." A " loaf " of white sugar weighed about
Jacob Read.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 489
ten or twelve pounds. It was more expensive than brown sugar. We didn't see any of that
white sugar around except when there was company. Then it was cut off the loaf and placed
on the table. We used to count money by pounds, shillings, and pence up to about 1841. " One
and three pence" was fifteen cents; "one and ninepence," twenty-two cents; "two andtupence,"
twenty-seven cents. In these early days we used " dips," that is, tallow candles. The candles
were made by hanging wicks over alder rods (from which the bark had been peeled) and dip-
ping them into the mixed mutton and beef tallow; the beef tallow hardened the candles. The
alder rods were selected because they were light and easily handled. After the candles
were made the rods were carefully stored away for the next year's use. In later years
sperm oil and kerosene oil were used. Coal was not in use in Yonkers until about 1839 or
1840. Then Mr Ebenezer Baldwin, who kept a lumber yard, brought in twenty tons; but its
sale was slow. Nobody at first h^d a coal-stove. Everybody used open fireplaces or " Frank-
hn " stoves. The " Franklin'' was used in parlors. It was open in front like a fire-place. On
one side stood the tongs and on the other the shovel, their brass tops polished bright.
I recall distinctly the routine work of each year on the Yonkers farms. January and
February were the months in which wood was cut for summer use. Enough wood was cut in
the winter to last all summer. Fire-wood was drawn from the woods by ox teams. When the
snow was deep we could put a chain around the tree we had chopped down, and, with our oxen,
■would drag the tree to the wood-shed, breaking a road through the snow, which in those winters
fell plentifully. I have seen it three feet deep, and of course there were often heavy drifts. We
used to pile the woodshed full of fire-wood and then pile it up outside. Loads of chips were
brought to the yard from the woods. Chips made a quick fire for boiling the tea-kettle.
Besides the wood we cut for home use we cut a good deal of cordwood to be taken to New York
by our teams. We had no buck-saws, but used axes and sometimes cross-cut saws. Besides
getting in our wood, we threshed oats, rye and wheat in January and February, calculating to
get through before the first of March, which was the month for repairing stone walls and rail
fences, and for cutting brushes and briars and heaping them up in piles to burn. In April the
farmers were generally digging out stone and buildmg stone walls. They were also at that
time getting ready to plow their corn ground and also to plow their oats, which were sown in
April. In May we planted our corn ground and also planted potatoes and plowed our pickle
grou'nd. Every farmer had his pickle patch, some reserving four acres and some five or six for
that crop. In June the pickles were planted. That was a very important crop. Not one-quar-
ter of the pickles were taken to the Yonkers pickle factories. The fact of the business is, that
Yonkers, Fordham, West Farms, Eastchester and Greenburgh were the principal pickle pro-
ducers for the New York market. It was a former Yonkers man who established the pickle
industry in one of the western states. In June we also put our cheese peppers in beds to be
afterward transplanted. A good many of them were raised. June was also the month for
plowing and hoeing corn and potatoes. In the latter part of the month we plowed for buck-
wheat and turned over our turnip ground. Turnips were raised to feed the cattle, not for mar-
ket. June was the month in which the sheep were sheared and in which cherries were picked
and taken to market. I have taken down to the city as many as sixteen hundredweight of cher-
ries. In July we were plowing and hilling corn, which we tried to finish before the beginning
of haying and harvesting, which was our July and August work. In July we also plowed and
hoed our pickle crop. Apples were taken to market in August and pickles were picked in the
last part of the month. That was the principal work. We also at that time dug potatoes and
took them and our apples to market. This work extended into September. Forty-five bushels
of apples were a load for a team. September might have been called our marketing month, for
then we were gathering our crops and taking them to market. We also were topping our corn
at that time, but we did not husk it until October, which was also the month for picking some
variety of apples, digging some kinds of potatoes and for making cider. In November we were
yet busy husking corn and digging potatoes. We were also, during this and other winter
months, threshing grain, killing hogs and poultry, cutting wood, etc.
490 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
The crops in Yonkers were fine. In the '40s over here in the valley (Tibbett's Brook),
at the Horton farmhouse, near the present Dunwoodie railroad station, and a little south of the
road to Eastchester (Yonkers avenue), we would get up the oxen and take the cart, which held
forty-five bushels, out to the potatoe patch, in November, and there dig potatoes and fill the cart
and have them in the wagon-house or cellar by noon. We would get another cart-load im the
afternoon. We calculated that six hills of the variety, which was very large, would fill a bushel
basket. They did fill it. Some of those potatoes were from six to eight inches long, and they
were good, too! I remember that sometimes after supper we went to the barn to sort apples and
potatoes. We made two candlesticks by cutting holes in two large turnips. We put a dip in
each. One dip would be burning at one end of the heap of potatoes or apples, and the other at
the other end of the heap. We sat there in the barn and worked. Just before stopping work, one of
the men would go into the house and put some of those potatoes in the hot ashes of the open
fire-place. When we all came in from the barn the potatoes were nicely backed, and there we sat,
before going to bed, and enjoyed those mealy and white baked potatoes.
As to the price of farm land, the Horton farm of two hundred acreis. at what is now
called Dunwoodie, was bought in 1833, or 1834, for six thousand dollars. A little more than a
score of years afterward, when the village was incorporated (1855), the average price of a lot on
Warburtom avenue was about one hundred and fifty or two hundred dollars. Opposite Manor
Hall the price was two hundred dollars. Judge Woodruff owned the property at that time. As to
the upper end of what is now Warburton avenue, they would almost give you a lot in that locality
if you would go up there. In 1872, when the city was incorporated, those lots opposite Manor
Hall were worth five and six hundred dollars each. When Dr. Gates bought of Levi P. Rose two or
three acres on the hill, opposite the present First Reformed church, he paid for it three thousand
and nine hundred dollars. In 1893, a part of that property was offered to the city, for a city hall
property, for one hundred and thirty thousand dollars.
I recall one event which created great excitement in Yonkers in 1842 or 1843. A dam
above Ashford (a place subsequently called Ardsley by Mr. Cyrus W. Field), about five miles north
of Yonkers, gave way, by reason of a sudden and heavy fall of rain, owing to a cloud-burst-
Oliver Rhead, whose farm was in Sawmill river valley, a little north of St. John's cemetery, saw
the river rising rapidly, and, mounting his horse, rode swiftly down to Yonkers to alarm the
village. The Wells and Paddock dam, north of the present Elm street bridge, was then com-
paratively new, but for some time it resisted the pressure of the flood. In those days there were
no factories or other buildings near the dam to be damaged. At last the water broke through
and with irresistible force rushed through the little village. It gullied out Mechanic (now New
Main) street about seven feet. It also gullied out Mill (now Main) street, west of Getty Square,
At that time the " TonyArcher " bridge, a wooden structure near the present cemetery(Oakland),
spanned the Sawmill river. It had upright side-posts surmounted with railing. The water
overflowed that bridge and the bridge over the Sawmill river just north of the present Getty
Square. The Sawmill river road was covered. The water ran up over the stone wall, and as
far as the old parsonage, in what are now Oakland cemetery grounds. It also overflowed,
" Gully Guion's lane." I was on my way to a political meeting to be held at Bashford's tavern,
which stood on the north bank of the Nepperhan, west of Manor Hall. When I reached the
Tony Archer bridge, near the parsonage lot, I attempted to ford the water, which was runnings
over the bridge. The current swept me and my horse down stream, and, after regaining solid
ground, I rode down to the Post-road bridge and forded it without accident. I recall the deep-
gully in Mechanic street near the site of the present Getty House. A few days after the flood a
young horse belonging to Anson Baldwin was taken to be shod at Archibald's (afterward Peter
Nodine's) blacksmith shop. The horse was restless and succeeded in breaking away from
the tie-post. He ran around into Mechanic street, fell into the deep gully and was killed.
The gully was full of boulders.
Jacob Read was born at Southeast, Putnam county, New York, on Sep-
tember 30, 1818. His father, Rooney Read, was a soldier in the war of
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 491
1812, and his grandfather, Jacob Read, was a soldier in the Revolution. Mr.
Read came to Yonkers at the age of eleven, and is one of the oldest and best
known citizens. He has held many positions of trust; for fifteen years was
supervisor, and at present is a member of the board of water commissioners,
acting as treasurer. He is a member of the Odd Fellows and Masonic
orders. On November 23, 1845, he married Miss Catherine L. Mann, who-
died on December 26, 1891. Five of his children are living, — George,
Leander and David H., all residents of Yonkers; Mrs. Amanda Gibson, of
White Plains; and Helen L. , wife of Wilbur B. Ketcham, of this city.
THEODORE HILL.
One of the most progressive and successful agriculturists of Yorktown'
township, Westchester county, is Theodore Hill, who is the owner of a beau-
tiful farm of two hundred acres. His methods of farm management show
deep scientific knowledge, combined with sound, practical judgment, and
the results show that "high-class" farming as an occupation can be made
profitable as well as pleasant.
Mr. Hill was born December i, 1850, and belongs to a family w-hich was
founded in this county by his great-grandfather, Uriah Hill, who came here
from New York city during the early days of settlement on Manhattan island.
His grandfather was Abraham Hill. His father, Abraham Hill, Jr., was a
farmer throughout life, was broad and liberal in religious matters, and at the
polls voted the Democratic ticket. He married Miss Thamer Lounsbury,
the daughter of Daniel Lounsbury, who belonged to an old family of this
section, and was the son of a Revolutionary soldier. To Mr. and Mrs. Hill
were born two children: Theodore, the subject of this sketch; and Hannah
J., wife of Peter Curry. The mother died in early life, and the father after-
ward married Miss Mary A. Fowler, whose death occurred in August, 1897.
Theodore Hill was reared and educated in Yorktown township, West-
chester county. New York, and since attaining to man's estate has devoted
his time and energies to agricultural pursuits, with good success. He now
owns and operates a fine dairy farm near Lake Osceola, in Yorktown town-
ship, Westchester county, on which is an excellent orchard, large barns and
a nice residence, — in fact, all the conveniences and accessories of a model
farm are there found.
On the 20th of June, 1892, Mr. Hill was united in marriage with Miss
Susan H. Curry, a daughter of Dr. James H. and Emily (Minor) Curry. Her
father is a prominent physician of Yorktown, and both parents are promi-
nent members and active workers in the Methodist church. Mr. and Mrs.
492 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Hill have two little sons, who make bright their home, namely: James Curry
and Theodore A.
While taking an active interest in political affairs, Mr. Hill is not a mem-
ber of either of the great political parties, but prefers to vote for the man
whom he believes best qualified to fill the office, regardless of party ties. He
is an efficient member of the school board, and is also filling the offices of
collector and commissioner in his township. He and his wife are leading
members of the Methodist church, and they well deserve the high regard in
which they are uniformly held.
NELSON H. BAKER.
A prominent and distinguished attorney of Sing Sing, Mr. Baker has
for almost forty years successfully engaged in practice at the Westchester
county bar. He was born in this county, March 4, 1835, a son of Quinby
and Elizabeth (Dayton) Baker, and is a worthy representative of good old
Revolutionary stock. The Baker family is of English origin, and tradition
states that its progenitor in the New World was the chaplain on the May-
flower. Our subject's great-grandfather, Daniel Baker, was a captain in the
Colonial army under General Washington, and participated.in the battle of
White Plains at the time the British fleet came up the Hudson river, and the
grandfather, Daniel Baker, who was a farmer, served as a soldier in the war
of 18 1 2. Quinby Baker was an inventor and was accidentally killed when our
subject was quite small, having participated in the Mexican war, in which he
was wounded and died from the effects of a poisoned bullet. He left three
children, the others being Alonzo, a mechanic residing in Bedford, and Cla-
rissa, now deceased. For four generations the Baker family have resided in
Westchester county and have been numbered among its most worthy and
progressive citizens. The Dayton family is also an old and loyal one, being
well represented in the Revolution, the war of 18 12 and the civil war, and is
connected with the Greene family of Revolutionary fame. Our subject's
maternal grandfather, Gilbert Dayton, was wounded in the war of 18 12.
Reared upon a farm. Nelson H. Baker obtained his early education in
the district schools and by private instruction from an Irish tutor, Thomas
O'Rily. At the age of twenty-one he commenced the study of law with
Francis Larkin, of Sing Sing, and was admitted to the bar in November,
1859, since which time he has engaged- in general practice in Sing Sing.
Early in life he became interested in political affairs, and when still a young
man made the race for supervisor, and was elected. The following year he
was elected justice of the peace, and filled that office for four consecutive
terms. He was then appointed district attorney to fill an unexpired term of
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WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 49S
more than two years, and at the end of that time was elected to that position,
which he then held for four terms, or fourteen years in all. Since then he
has given his entire attention to his private practice, making a specialty of
criminal law, and has defended many noted criminals. Prominence at the
bar comes through merit alone, and the high position which he has attained
attests his superiority. As a fluent, earnest and convincing advocate he has
but few equals. Thoroughness characterizes all his efforts, and he conducts
all business with a strict regard to a high standard of professional ethics. He
follows his own peculiar style and is quick to discern which course to pursue,
but has always refused to prosecute a case when he has believed the prose-
cution to be unjust. As an attorney he ranks among the foremost in this
section of the state, and he is recognized as one of the most eminent citizens
of Westchester county.
On the 2d of November, 1859, Mr. Baker was united in marriage
with Miss Elizabeth Urmy, a native of the town of Ossining, now Sing Sing,
who died February 21, 1898. Two sons were born to this union, Ralph
and Stuart, both of whom have been well educated, and Stuart practices
law and is a member of the Westchester county bar.
ROBERT A. R0TCH6.
A prominent and popular citizen of Peekskill, Westchester county, Mr.
Rotche has always been noted for his patriotism and loyalty to the govern-
ment and for his earnest efforts to advance the welfare of the community in
which his lot is cast. He was a young man of but nineteen years when he
offered his services, and his life, if need be, to the Union, and with his brave
comrades took a distinguished part in the battle of Antietam, two hundred
and sixty-five of the regiment meeting death in that fearful combat between the
opposing armies. He was also a participant in the battles of Fredericksburg
and Roanoke Island and in minor engagements and skirmishes with the
enemy. His term of service extended over a period of two years, beginning
on August 19, 1 86 1, and terminating in August, 1863, when he received an
honorable discharge. He was a member of the famous Hawkins Zouaves,
Ninth Regiment of New York Infantry.
Mr. Rotche has never lost his interest in the boys who wore the blue,
and, wherever he has gone has been identified with the Grand Army of the
Republic, and is now the commander of Abraham Vosburgh Post, No. 95, of
Peekskill. He is a stanch Republican and has loyally aided that party since
he had the privilege of casting his first presidential ballot, for Abraham
Lincoln. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,,
belonging to Cortlandt Lodge, No. .6, and while he was a resident of Saa
494 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Francisco, California, he was a member of Oriental Encampment, No. 57
I. O. O. F.
Robert A. Rotche, who has made his home in Peekskill for many years, is
a native of this county, his birth having occurred in Cortlandt township,
January 13, 1842. He is a son of John G. and Margaret (Henry) Rotch^.
The father, who was a native of Philadelphia, was a brick-maker by profes-
sion. His death took place over thirty years ago, in 1867. His widow
passed away in August, 1896, at the advanced age of eighty-six years. Both
were members of the old Dutch Reformed church. They were the parents
of six children, only two of whom survive, namely: John H., a resident of
Croton-on-Hudson, and Robert A.
In his youth Robert A. Rotche received an excellent education in the pub-
lic schools of the county of his nativity. Soon after he left the school-room
he entered upon his army life and when he returned from the battle-fields of
the south he went to San Francisco, California, where he remained for
twenty years or more, and there engaged in merchandising and was also
prominently identified in local political affairs.
In 1867 the marriage of R. A. Rotche and Miss Jennie Black was
solemnized in Brooklyn, New York, by Rev. Dr. Lowry, of Hanson Place
Baptist church. Mrs. Rotche is a daughter of James Black, of Brooklyn.
Edward A., the only child born to our subject and wife, died June 17, 1883,
at San Francisco, aged fifteen years. He was a bright, promising youth,
admired and loved by all who knew him, and his loss was deeply felt by a
large circle of friends.
LEONARD JACOBI.
As one who has attained conspicuous success in connection with the busi-
ness and industrial activities of the nation, and standing at the head of one
of the important and magnificent manufacturing and commercial enterprises
of Westchester county, there is a manifest consistency in according in this
compilation at least a brief review of the life of Leonard Jacobi, of Yonkers,
who is the president of the Nepera Chemical Company, of Nepera Park.
His exceptional business sagacity and acumen can be recognized when we
revert to the circumstance that he had by his own efforts accumulated a suf-
ficient competency to enable him consistently to retire from active business
at an age when the average man is but formulating plans and initiating his
business career.
The subject of this sketch received his educational discipline in the pub-
lic schools of New York city, and thereafter instituted his independent busi-
ness career by going to San Francisco, California, where he became a stock-
broker. Instituting operations in this line in the year 18:74, his success was
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 495
almost phenomenal, as is shown in the fact, already referred to incidentally,
that he was able to retire at the age of twenty-seven years, having accumu-
lated a fortune by his wise manipulations and rare business discrimination.
The story of his brilliant success is as brief as it was astonishing, taking into
consideration his youth and the difficulties with which he naturally had to
contend.
After retiring from business in California, Mr. Jacobi devoted fourteen
years to travel and recreation in Europe, and while thus journeying about
from one place of interest to another he chanced to form the acquaintance
of Dr. Leo Baekeland, who is now associated with him in the great enter-
prise which they have built up in Westchester county. A more formal
description of this industry appears in connection with the sketch of Dr.
Baekeland, which is published on other pages of this work. Suffice it to say
at this point that the enterprise was inaugurated in 1893, when the Nepera
Chemical Company was organized, its principal product being the celebrated
Velox photographic paper — a sensitized paper for use in printing from
ordinary photographic negatives, and one whose facility in manipulation is
bound to revolutionize this feature of the photographic processes. The paper
is described more fully in the review of the life of its inventor, Dr. Baeke-
land, but it will not be out of place to state here that the pronounced points
of superiority in the product are that it is sensitive to what the photographer
would call very "slow" light- — that is, prints can be made with utmost
facility not alone by daylight, but from the light of ordinary gas or lamp;
while the process of developing and fixing the prints is by gas light or any
artificial light. The Velox paper, however, gives results which equal any-
thing that can be obtained from aristo papers, and also gives the depth of
tone-shadows and lights which the aristo paper invariably blurs. In this
respect the Velox is superior to both the aristo and the old-time albumen paper,
which likewise had its elements of superiority over the former in the pres-
ervation of the more delicate values of the various negatives.
The Nepera Chemical Company has an extensive and finely equipped
plant, which covers a large area, and here employment is afforded to one
hundred individuals. The Velox paper met with an almost instantaneous
favor on the part of photographers, and the product of the factory is now
shipped to every civilized country in the world, foreign agencies having been
established in a number of the principal cities abroad. In addition to these
agencies in foreign lands, a number have been established in the various sec-
tions of the United States, and a large corps of traveling salesmen is em-
ployed by the company in the introducing and sale of the Velox paper.
Besides Velox, however, the Nepera Chemical Company has the only manu-
Jactory in the world that produces all kinds of photographic papers, other
496 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
manufacturers having their specialties only. In this respect the Nepera
Chemical Company stands unique in its branch of industry. The enterprise
has important bearing on the industrial status and prosperity of Yonkers,
and is duly appreciated by all classes of citizens who are interested in the
progress of the city. The company largely employ home labor and skill
and pay good salaries, much of the work requiring the co-operation of prac-
tical chemists and men of education.
Personally Mr. Jacobi is a man of most pleasing personality, genial and
affable in manner, and he has gained a distinctive popularity in both busi-
ness and social circles. He is a thorough business man, alert and progress-
ive, and a hard worker. He is quick and energetic, and is recognized for
his superior ability in handling affairs of great breadth. He has pushed the
business of the Nepera Chemical Company to the front with great rapidity,
expending each year many thousand dollars in advertising, realizing that by
this typical American method a business may be built up in one year to a
point which could not be reached in ten by the slow system of gradual intro-
duction of products by personal solicitation alone. He stands distinctively
as the business head of the enterprise; Dr. Baekeland devotes his attention
to the development and improvement of the manufacturing processes, by con-
tinued investigation and experimentation, being also secretary of the com-
pany; while Albert G. C. Hahn, M. S., is treasurer. Mr. Jacobi took up
his residence in Yonkers in 1897.
EDWARD B. REAR.
The present well known and popular supervisor of Yorktown township,
Westchester county, was born March 24, 1866, and is a representative of an
old and highly respected family of this county. His paternal great-grandfa-
ther, Jonathan Rear, who was of Welsh descent, settled near the present vil-
lage of Yorktown some time prior to the Revolutionary war. His son, Peter
Rear, the grandfather of our subject, was here reared to manhood and mar-
ried Miss Susan Anderson, who was born at Croton-on-Hudson and was of
German descent. To them was born a family of nine children, and of those
who reached maturity we offer the following brief record: Peter is a resident
of Geneva, New York; Amos died in 1891, his being the first death in the
family for forty years; Henry C. is the father of our subject; William and
George are both residents of Seneca Falls, New York; Cyrus resides at
Almont, Michigan; Sarah Dean has her home at Rochester, New York; and
Daniel also resides at Almont, Michigan. The mother of these children died
at the age of eighty-two years, and the father two or three years later. By
occupation he was a farmer, and in politics was a Republican.
<^k^y^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 497
Henry C. Kear, the father of our subject, is a native of Westchester
county, born December i8, 1836, and was reared on the homestead at York-
town, receiving his education in the public schools of the neighborhood. At
the age of twenty-seven years he was united in marriage with Miss Catherine
Farmer, a native of Ireland, and to them were born two children: William
C. , of Yorktown; and Edward B., of this sketch. The Kear homestead con-
sists of two hundred and iifty-six acres of choice farming land, which has
been placed under a high 'state of cultivation and improved with good and
substantial buildings. In fact it is one of the most valuable and attractive
farms in the vicinity. To its further improvement and cultivation father
and sons still devote their energies with most gratifying results, and Mr.
Kear also owns a valuable farm of one hundred and forty acres in the town
of Somers.
Edward B. Kear obtained his early education in the public schools near
his boyhood home, and later attended the Hackettstown Institute, where he
was graduated in the class of 1884. Since attaining his majority he has been
a stanch supporter of the Republican party, and has taken an active and
prominent part in local politics. His fellow citizens, recognizing his worth
and ability, elected him township clerk in 1889, and he has also been called
upon to fill the offices of justice of the peace and township supervisor, in
which he has served with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of
his constituents. Mr. Kear was again re-elected to the office of supervisor of
the township in the spring of 1899, by an increased majority over his former
opponent. In 1894 Mr. Kear was elected a justice of sessions of Westches-
ter county, and filled that office till its abolishment by the constitutional
amendment.
On the 3d of June, 1896, Mr. Kear was icarried to Miss Josephine Rey-
nolds, of Croton Lake, a daughter of Lockwood Reynolds, of that place, and
in the social circles of the community they occupy an enviable position-
EUGENE P. SHEPHERD.
The well-known proprietor of the Croton Valley Poultry farm, at Croton
Falls, Westchester county, is Eugene Purdy Shepherd, who was born in New
Jersey, in 1864, the son of C. C. and Ann (Purdy) Shepherd. His maternal
grandfather was Joel B. Purdy, a member of one of the old and prominent
families of New York.
During his boyhood and youth Eugene P. Shepherd received a good
practical education and also learned the jewelry trade, which he followed for
a time. For some years he was also employed as a traveling salesman for a
New York firm, but for the past seven years has engaged in his present
32
498 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
business. He was married in 1895, the lady of his choice being Miss Ella
Bailey, who died November 24, 1898, leaving two daughters, — Florence B.
and Helen.
The Croton Valley Poultry farm is one of the best and most widely
known farms of the kind in the state. The grounds are large, and a good
residence has been erected on a natural building site. Mr. Shepherd has
spent over four thousand dollars for stock and buildings and has con-
verted it into an ideal poultry ranch. He makes a specialty of Plymouth
Rock and Leghorn fowls and some of his prize winners are valued at one
hundred dollars per pair. Orders for fowls and eggs come from all parts of
the country, and he has received first and sweepstakes prizes in New York,
Boston, Buffalo, Albany and other places. He is a member of the American
Poultry Association and also belongs to several smaller and local poultry
associations.
A man of superior intellect, frank and genial in disposition, he is very
popular with his fellow men, and his circle of friends seems limited only by
his circle of acquaintances.
WILLIAM F. McCABE.
For thirty years this well-known resident of Mamaroneck has made his
home in this flourishing little village, and during the past score of years has
risen to a position of prominence and influence in its affairs, commercial and
■otherwise. He has been an important factor in local politics, being a worker
in the ranks of the Democratic party, and was the receiver of taxes for two
years and excise commissioner for three years.
The parents of our subject were William F. and Ellen (Collins) McCabe.
He was born in East Morris, now included within the limits of Greater New
York, in 1857. At the age of one year WilHam F. accompanied his father to
Mamaroneck, and has since looked upon this place as his home. He received
his higher education in Saint Francis Xavier College, in New York city, but
left his studies when eighteen years of age in order to enter upon his business
career. He was associated with his father in contracting until twenty-five
years of age, when he embarked upon independent work. His first important
task was the construction of the reservoir dam for the New Rochelle water-
works, and having executed this contract to the entire satisfaction of all con-
cerned he had no difficulty in obtaining further contracts at other points and
for various kinds of public works. One of the finest pieces of work that he
has accomplished is the Byron bridge, connecting New York and Greenmont,
Connecticut. This structure has a beautiful double arch of cut stone. Though
he has taken contracts for a great many private parties, he is especially quali-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 499
fied to take much more important pieces of work, and caters to large public
improvements.
Among those for whom he has carried out contracts are Mr. Schoon-
maker, of Scarsdale, and William H. Macy and Porter A. Harrison. For
three years and eight months he was engaged upon the construction of the
new Croton dam for the New York city water works, and excavated the first
yard of rock for that remarkable piece of work. Few public works have
been carried out in this, town without his co-operation, and many of the more
important improvements in Mount Vernon have been managed by him. He
built six miles of macadam road in Richmond, and has the most complete
facilities for this kind of enterprise, as he owns a stone-crusher and steam-
rollers, and in other work he has the most approved modern steam drills
{eight in number), hoisting machines, etc., and keeps twenty-two horses for
use in his various departments of business. It is conceded that, for the execu-
tion of street paving and public works in general, he has the most complete
machinery and equipments of any contractor in this county. He employs
as many as four hundred and fifty men at a time, and his pay roll frequently
amounts to eight thousand dollars a month, while his contracts for two years
footed up about two hundred thousand dollars.
Though he is quite devoted to his business affairs Mr. McCabe always
finds time to discharge his duties as a citizen. He has been active in the
work of the fire department, as for five years he was identified with the
Mamaroneck Hook & Ladder Company; was for three years a member of
the Croton Hook & Ladder Company and was in the patrol department here
for some time, being at present an honorary member of the same. Frater-
nally, he is a member of the orders of Foresters and Red Men.
The marriage of Mr. McCabe and Miss Minnie Anthes was celebrated
April IS, 1889. Mrs. McCabe is a daughter of Frederick and Dorothea
{Miller) Anthes, of this place. The four children born to our subject and
wife are William F. ; Ellen Dorothea, deceased; May; and Irene.
William F. McCabe, as an honored old citizen of Mamaroneck, deserves
special mention. He is a native of county Kildare, Ireland, born about
1830. He came to America prior to his marriage and engaged in contract-
ing after he had been on these shores for a few years. At first, however, he
was employed on farms as a manager of the same. He has made a specialty
of building seawalls and other similar works of public improvement, but for
the past fifteen years he has lived practically retired from active labors. He
has been influential in the affairs of the local Democratic party and for twen-
ty-four years occupied the office of road commissioner, at the expiration of
which period he resigned, refusing to retain the office longer. Among many
other works of improvement here with which he was identified was the con-
500 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
struction of the Mamaroneck water main. Both he and his estimable wife
have arrived at the age of sixty-eight years. Of their ten children five sur-
vive, namely: Sarah Carroll, William F., Thomas, Ellen and Richard.
FREDERICK W. SHERMAN.
The ancestry of the Sherman family, of which our subject is a represent-
tative, can be traced back to William Sherman, bailiff of Debenham Stone-
ham, in Suffolk, England. He flourished about 1410, and was the father of
John Sherman, of Suffolk, whose son, Thomas Sherman, of Dedham, Eng-
land, died in 1564. The last named was the father of Henry Sherman, also
of Dedham. His wife was Agnes Sherman, and his will was dated 1589.
Edward Sherman, the son of Henry and Agnes Sherman, married Ann Clerc,
made his home in Dedham, England, and left a will dated 1598. His son,
John Sherman, was the next in the line of direct descent to our subject, and
his will bore date 1654 or 1655. The last named was the father of Captain
John Sherman, the founder of the family in America. He was born in Ded-
ham, England, in 161 3, and came to America in 1634, locating in Watertown,
Massachusetts. His daughtar was Martha Palmer, daughter of William
Palmer, and their son John was killed in the Narragansett Indian fight. It
was Edward Sherman, of Dedham, England, an uncle of Captain John Sher-
man, from whom descended General William T. Sherman and Senator John
Sherman, of Ohio. Joseph Sherman, a son of Captain John Sherman, mar-
ried Elizabeth Winship, daughter of Lieutenant Edward H. and Elizabeth
Winship, of Cambridge, on November 18, 1673, and of this union was born
William Sherman, of Charlestown, Massachusetts, who married Mehitable
Wellington.
They became the parents of Roger Sherman, the great-grandfather of
our subject, one of the most distinguished patriots who promoted the cause of
liberty and freedom in that period which gave birth to the republic. He was
married May 12, ly^^, to Rebecca Prescott, daughter of Benjamin and
Rebecca (Minot) Prescott, of Danvers, Connecticut. He was a member of
the continental congress in 1774, was one of the signers of the address to the
king in that year, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and one of the
committee who drafted that document. He was also one of the signers of
the articles of confederation and of the constitution of the United States.
He had the distinction of being the only person who signed all four of these
great state papers in the early history of the country; in fact no other signed
three of them. From 1791 up to the time of his death he was a member of
the United States senate, and was also a judge of the supreme court of Con-
necticut. He had graduated in Yale College with the degree of Master of
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 501
Arts, and was a most scholarly and diplomatic statesman. He left the impress
of his strong individuality upon the new republic and took a leading part in
formulating its policy. He was the grandfather of three United States sena-
tors, his daughter Rebecca being the mother of Roger Sherman Baldwin, who
was governor of Connecticut and a member of the United States senate;
Mehitable, another daughter, was the mother of William M. Evarts, a mem-
ber of the senate; and Sarah, the third daughter, was the mother of Frisbie
Hoar, United States senator, and the late E. Rockwood Hoar, judge of the
supreme court of Massachusetts. Roger Minot Sherman,' the eminent jurist
of Fairfield, Connecticut, was also a relative of the same family.
Roger Sherman, the grandfather of our subject, was likewise a native of
New Haven, Connecticut, and there spent his entire life. He was a member
of the firm of Prescott & Sherman, prominent merchants, who were exten-
sively engaged in trading with the West Indies. He died at an advanced age.
In 1801 he married Susanna Staples, who was born August i, 1778, and died
November 22, 1855. She was a sister of the great lawyer, Seth P. Staples,
and the granddaughter of Hannah Standish, whose grandfather was Miles
Standish, one of the colonial governors of Massachusetts.
The father of our subject, Edward Standish Sherman, was born in New
Haven, Connecticut, and there spent his early life. In his younger manhood
he began dealing in iron and other metals. He removed to Fairfield, Con-
necticut, where he made his home the greater part of the time until his death,
which occurred in 1882. He was quite successful in his business dealings,
but at the time of the civil war met with heavy losses. In politics he was a
Republican, and was one of the charter members of the Union League Club,
of New York city. He married Catharine Augusta Townsend, of Boston, a
daughter of Dr. Solomon David and Catharine (Davis) Townsend. Her
father was an eminent surgeon of Boston, and in his honor the Townsend
ward in the Massachusetts General Hospital was named. Mrs. Sherman's
grandparents were Dr. David and Elizabeth (Davis) Townsend, and the for-
mer was a son of Shippie Townsend and a grandson of David Townsend.
Mrs. Sherman is still living, at the advanced age of seventy-three years, and
is a member of the Episcopal church. In their family were eleven children,
ten of whom are still living.
Frederick William Sherman, the honored representative of the family
of Rye, New York, was born at No. 42 East Thirty-first street, New York
city, February 10, 1862, and spent his childhood days in Fairfield, Connect-
icut, until about twelve or fourteen years of age, when he accompanied his
parents on their removal to Rye, New York. He was educated in the public
schools and Park Institute of Rye, and, having determined to make the prac-
tice of law his life work, completed a course of study by his graduation in
502 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
the Columbia Law School of New York, in 1883. He then began the prac-
tice of his profession in New York, where he remained for four or five years,
after which he opened an office in Port Chester, near Rye, where he has since
made his home in a sightly residence recently built by him and overlooking
Long Island sound. He practiced in Port Chester, in White Plains and in
Rye, and now has a distinctively representative clientage. Since his arrival
in the county he has been connected with much of the important litigation
heard in the courts, and is attorney for the local street railroad company and
other local corporations. To an understanding of uncommon acuteness and
vigor, he added a thorough and conscientious preparatory training. His
preparation of cases is exhaustive; he seems almost intuitively to grasp the
strong points of law and fact; his arguments are forcible and his logic con-
vincing, while his familiarity with the facts, the law and with precedents is
comprehensive and accurate.
Mr. Sherman was united in marriage to Miss Grace Blanchard, a daugh-
ter of Anthony Blanchard, ex-surrogate of Albany county and district attorney
for Washington county. New York. Mr. Sherman is a member of the Epis-
copal church, and in politics is a Republican. In the fall of -1892 he was the
candidate for county attorney, but the entire ticket was defeated at that elec-
tion. In his profession he has attained a prominent position, and, being yet a
young man, still greater successes are probably in store for him. His hfe has
always been upright and honorable, in harmony with the untarnished record of
the prominent family of which he is a representative.
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER.
James Fenimore Cooper is another distinguished author who may be
included among the literati of Westchester county, for his first novel was
written while he resided at Mamaroneck. Cooper was born at Burlington,
New Jersey. September 15, 1789. His father. Judge William Cooper,
removed the following year to the neighborhood of Otsego lake, New York,
where he had purchased a large tract of land, on which he established a set-
tlement, to which he gave the name of Cooperstown. In this frontier home,
in the midst of a population of settlers, trappers and Indians, young Cooper
imbibed that knowledge of backwoods life and of the habits of the aborigines
which afterward served him so well in the construction of his romances. At
the age of thirteen he entered Yale College, and after remaining there three
years received an appointment as midshipman in the United States Navy. In
the latter he obtained, during the six years of his service, a familiarity with
nautical life which he utilized with splendid results in his famous sea
stories.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 508
In 1811 Cooper resigned bis commission in the navy and married Miss
De Lancey, a member of the well known New York family of that name and
sister of the bishop of western New York. They settled in the village of
Mamaroneck, in Westchester county, and not long afterward Cooper's mind
was accidentally turned to the field of fiction. One day, after reading an Eng-
lish novel, he remarked to his wife that he believed he could write a better
story himself. To test the matter he wrote "Precaution." He had not
intended to publish the novel, but was induced to do so by his wife and his
friend, Charles Wilkes. The descriptions of English life and scenery gave
it great popularity in England, where it was republished. " The Spy," which
followed, was as thoroughly American, and obtained great success, not only
in this country but abroad. It was almost immediately republished in all
parts of Europe. " The Pioneers " was the first of the series of frontier and
Indian stories, on which the novelist's reputation chiefly rests. It was fol-
lowed by "The Pilot," the first of the sea stories. Other novels followed
in quick succession, and Cooper's reputation grew apace. He was also
sharply criticized and became involved in various controversies, which cul-
minated finally in a series of libel suits against his detractors in the news-
papers. In 1826 he visited Europe, and upon his return to this country
made his home at Cooperstown, New York. During his residence abroad
(1826-33) he was everywhere received with marked attention. His literary
activity was unchecked by his wanderings, and during his stay in Europe he
wrote a number of novels. After his return to this country he wrote the
"Naval History of the United States," which excited an acrimonious dis-
cussion as to the correctness of his account of the battle of Lake Erie. In
one of his libel suits Cooper defended, in person, the accuracy of his Version
of the battle. A lawyer, who was an auditor of the closing sentences of his
argument, remarked, ' ' I have heard nothing like it since the days of
Emmet."
Cooper continued to write with amazing fertility and vigor almost to the
close of his life, which was terminated by dropsy, September 14, 1851. Not-
withstanding his defects of style, his romances are. conceded to be among the
most vivid and original of all American works of fiction. He was the first
of his countrymen who obtained a wide recognition in other portions of the
world. His works were translated into many languages, and the Indian tales
especially were universal favorites in Europe. The great French novelist,
Balzac, said of him, "With what amazing power has he painted nature!
How all his pages glow with creative fire! Who is there writing English
among our contemporaries, if not of him, of whom it can be said that he has
a genius of the first order.? " " The empire of the sea," says the Edinburg
Review, " has been conceded to him by acclamation; " and the same journal
504 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
adds, "In the lonely desert or untrodden prairie, among the savage
Indians, or scarcely less savage settlers, all equally acknowledge his domin-
ion."
LEONARD CHADEAYNE.
This gentleman was for many years one of the prominent and influential
citizens of Westchester county. New York. He was born on the old
Chadeayne homestead in this county, June 12, 1809, passed his life in this
vicinity and lived to a venerable ^age, his death occurring February 11, 1893.
The Chadeayne family has long been identified with Westchester county.
Daniel Chadeayne, the grandfather of Leonard, was one of the f:rst Demo-
crats in this section of the country. His son, David, our subject's father,
was born in Westchester county, October 11, 1766, and married Miss Han-
nah Underbill, whose birth occurred January 6, 1772. The fruits of this
union were ten children, three of whom died in infancy, the others being
John, Julia, Gilbert, Susan, Ann, Leonard and Sanford. The mother died
in 1841, at the age of sixty-nine years; the father, in 1846, at the age of
eighty-nine.
Leonard Chadeayne was reared on his father's farm and was engaged in
agricultural pursuits all his life. In July, 1847, he married Miss Mary Ann
Thorn, a native of Orange county, New York, reared and educated in Ulster
county, this state, daughter of Thomas P. and Eliza (Gerow) Thorn. Mr.
and Mrs. Thorn were the parents of four children, viz.: Eleanor, wife of
John Carpenter; Mary Ann, wife of the subject of our sketch; Esther G. ; and
Jane, wife of Amos Brown, of Orange county, New York. Mrs. Thorn died
at the'age of seventy-six years, and Mr. Thorn was eighty-four when he died.
Mr. and Mrs. Chadeayne became the parents of six children, namely: Eliza-
beth; Hannah, who died at the age of twelve years and ten months; Thomas
Thorn, a business man of Sing Sing, New York, married Harriet E. Young;
David, a resident of Yorktown, married Ida Acker, and has one son, H. Leon-
ard; William, a business man of Tarrytown, married Miss Lotta Palmer; and
Mary, wife of Anson Lee.
Mr. Chadeayne was a man who throughout his life bore a character that
was above reproach. He was broad and liberal in his religious views, and
politically, was a stanch supporter of the principles advocated by the Repub-
lican party. He was a good citizen, a loving and dutiful husband and an
indulgent father, and his death was mourned by many friends. Mr. Chade-
ayne was a successful financier, and frequently was chosen as executor and
administrator m the settlement of estates, etc. He was a most worthy and
estimable citizen, and his domestic life stood exemplary of all that belongs
to a model husband and father.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 505
LEO HENDRIK BAEKELAND, D. Sc.
No pen, however facile or however skillful with thought that moves it,
can compete in its portrayals with the sun ray. This swift and beautiful
messenger, robed in the mysteries of sun and stars, silent in its ministry, in
an instant gives the picture, and the picture is errorless. Through a small
opening it will bring in the landscape and throw it upon the screen. It will
touch the sensitive plate and leave there every lineament of the human
face. It is fleeter than muscular movement, or steam, or even electricity.
To the eye rapidity of motion veils the object; to light everything is still. It
writes history on the wing. It vestures earth and sky, the infinitely small
and the infinitely great, and tells the story of either with absolute exactness.
Nothing more clearly establishes nature's willingness to divulge her secrets
than this marvelous ministry of the sun's ray. "Know me, learn my ways
and behavior, and I will teach you all," is the new "bow of promise" of
light to science. A direct ray of light not only pictures but it analyzes. It
breaks itself up, at the will of the scientists, into innumerable indices of
refrangibility, detailing a separate messenger for each individual story it has
to tell.
He whose name initiates this review has attained distinction in the scien-
tific world, as the result of his well directed study, investigation and careful
experimental work, and in no one line have the practical results of his efforts
been more pronounced and effective than in those closely allied to the art or
science of photography. Revelations of the ultimate possibilities of photgo-
raphy have been made rapidly within the past decade, and Dr. Baekeland
has contributed in no small measure toward the advance movement. As
identified with one of the principal industrial enterprises of Westchester
county, — an enterprise whose ramifications are of wide extent and whose
basis may be properly said to be of semi-scientific character, — Dr. Baeke-
land merits distinct representation in this work, which has to do with those
•who have been and those who are identified with the specific progress of this
favored county of the old Empire state.
Leo Hendrik Baekeland is a native of Belgium, having been born in the
famed old city of Ghent, on the 14th of November, 1863, the son of Karel
Lodewyk Baekeland and Rosalia Merchie. His preliminary educational dis-
cipline was received in the public schools of his native city, the capital of
East Flanders. He next became a student in the Athenaeum in Ghent, in
which institution he was prepared for the university. In the evenings he at-
tended the free lectures of the Technical School of Ghent, taking the free
yearly course in chemistry and graduating with honors in 1880. Soon after
his graduation the young man was offered the position of assistant chemist at
506
WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
the State Agricultural Station, but as he wished to continue his studies and
to attain the highest possible degree of proficiency, he declined to accept the
offer, and within the same year matriculated in the University of Ghent, a
government institution, being the youngest student in that institution.
On entering the university Dr. Baekeland took up the course of study
in the medical department, but it was a notable fact that chemistry
and natural sciences bad a special attraction for him, and to these
branches he devoted himself with marked interest and zeal. After having
passed the two examinations for the degree of Bachelor of Sciences, summa
cum laude, he attracted the attention of the professors of the faculty of
sciences, and a position as laboratory assistant in chemistry was tendered to
him and accepted, whereupon he indefinitely renounced the specific study of
medicine for that of the natural sciences. His devotion to his work was
earnest and unremitting, and in 1884 the degree of Doctor of Natural
Sciences was conferred upon him. He also obtained a special diploma in
chemistry, passing both examinations siinima cum laude, which required nine-
ty-five per cent, of the maximum points allowable.
Ambitious to learn and to accomplish something in a practical way, Dr.
Baekeland prepared himself to accompany one of the scientific expeditions
which were then being organized for the exploration of the upper Congo, but
just as he was about to take his departure for the wilds of Africa he received
the appointment of first assistant professor of chemistry in the University of
Ghent, and that of professor of chemistry and physics at the government
Normal School for Sciences, which was then located at Bruges. These note-
worthy appointments naturally caused him to abandon his proposed trip to
Africa. In the meanwhile he had given to the world the results of certain
of his original researches in the field of pure chemistry, by the publication of
works exploiting said researches, — notably, "A New and Analytical Method
for the Separation of Copper and Cadmium," "Researches on the Oxydation
of Hydrochloric Acid Under the Influence of Light," "Dissociation of Nitrate
of Lead," etc. In 1887 he was proclaimed laureate in chemistry of the four
Belgian universities, in a competition among all alumni who had obtained
within the three preceding years the degree of Doctor of Sciences at any on&
of the universities. The work which earned him this distinction was his origi-
nal researches on the phenomena of chemical dissociation. The prize awarded
consisted of a gold medal, two thousand francs' worth of books, and a two-
yearly subsidy of two thousand francs, for traveling and visiting foreign uni-
versities. The Doctor visited the higher institutions of learning in Germany,
England and Scotland, and subsequently the University of Ghent promoted
him to the rank of associate professor of chemistry, after he had resigned his.
position as professor in the normal school at Bruges.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 50T
From bis boyhood Dr. Baekeland had been an enthusiastic amateur pho-
tographer, and it is needless to say that his wide knowledge of chemistry
enabled him to work out the best results in the production of negatives, while
his appreciation of the artistic values in photography eventually led him to
the series of experiments which brought about the establishing of the Nepera
Chemical Company, with which he is now so conspicuously identified. When
the dry plate was invented he was one of the first to try this process, which
was revolutionizing photography. It so happened that in Ghent several large
dry-plate manufactories were established, and that later on, when Dr. Baeke-
land had begun to gain some reputation as a chemist, he was frequently con-
sulted by these manufacturers in regard to the technical difficulties encoun-
tered. About 1888 he took out a patent for an improved dry plate, which
could be developed in a tray of plain water. At the time, this invention was
a very important one, and created a sensation; but since then the methods of
developing dry plates have been enormously simplified, thus diminishing the
importance of his invention.
In 1889 Dr. Baekeland was united in marriage to Miss Celine Swarts,
the daughter of Professor Theodore Swarts, dean of the faculty of sciences-
at the University of Ghent, and within the same year — during his summer
vacation — he came to the United States for the first time. His expenses
were paid by the Belgian government, the object of the trip being to visit
some of the more important American universities and colleges and make a
report on same. While here he was consulted by certain chemical-manu-
facturing firms, securing suitable recompense for his services. He asked for
an extension of his leave of absence, and, this being granted, he remained
here a few months longer, — " long enough," as the Doctor says, "to become
thoroughly enthused with American ideas and American institutions." When
he returned to Belgium he there remained for a time, but his experience in
the United States prompted him to return hither and to try his fortunes in
the New World, with whose spirit of progress and vitality he was thoroughly
in sympathy. He accordingly resigned his position at the university, the
special privilege being granted him by the Belgian government of retaining
his rank and title of associate professor of the University of Ghent. He
returned to the United States in the month of September, 1890, and estab-
lished himself as a consulting chemist in New York city, where he remained
until 1893, when he removed to Yonkers, Westchester county, where he
became associated with his friend, Leonard Jacobi (who is individually men-
tioned elsewhere), in the organization of the Nepera Chemical Company,
whose history has been one of marked and merited success. At a later date
Albert G. C. Hahn, M.S., became identified with the enterprise, and the
three gentlemen mentioned constitute the official corps of the company, —
508 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Mr. Jacobi being president, Dr. Baekeland, secretary, and Mr. Hahn, treas-
urer. The fine manufactory of the company is largely devoted to the pro-
duction of photgraphic papers, the manufacture and the final manipulation of
which are based on original and improved methods, — the result of the crit-
ical investigation and practical experimenting on the part of the subject of
this review, who devotes his time and attention to laboratory and scientific
work having a bearing on the continuous improvement of the processes of
manufacture and the bringing out of new and valuable products. Mr. Jacobi
devotes his attention more particularly to the commercial department of the
enterprise, promoting and expanding its interests in every possible direction,
while Mr. Hahn superintends the general work of manufacturing. The com-
pany has not satisfied itself with the limited trade derived from this conti-
nent, but has established a large export business, there being hardly a civil-
ized country in which the products of the factory are not to be found. The
leading product is the celebrated " Velox " paper, whose superiority over all
other photographic papers manufactured either in this country or abroad
can not be doubted. It is hardly in the province of this article to enter into
details in regard to Velox paper, but it is certainly demanded that a brief
mention of the same be made, since it represents the practical outcome of
careful study and work on the part of Dr. Baekeland.
In a little brochure issued by the company the superior claims of ' ' Velox "
are presented in a very attractive way, and from the introductory paragraph
we make the following extracts:
Ordinary processes of printing, toning and fixing are slow, dirty and uncertain. They
require sunshine, patience, persistent attention; unpleasant, uncertain and expensive chemical
processes,— in other words, time and outlay. A process which is quick, simple, certain and
independent of sunlight, increases the profits of the professional and the pleasure of the ama-
teur. Velox paper does not require sunlight, complex chemical processes or time. It prints
by sunlight, daylight, gaslight, or any light as fast as frames can be filled. It requires no toning
and no long and tedious chemical manipulation. It is clean, easy, simple and certain. Velox
paper conquers technical difficulties due to imperfect methods, and thereby gives sole promi-
nence to the artistic element,— that which makes photography an art instead of a handicraft.
In short, the mere fact that the paper is susceptible to the influence of
slow light is sufficient to cause it to supplant all papers hitherto used,— the
uncertainty of printing, owing to unfavorable light, having seriously handi-
capped all professional photographists who have had recourse to the ordinary
types of photographic paper. But superadded to this point of great superior-
ity justly claimed for Velox are others of almost equal importance to the
artist. The simple method employed in bringing the prints into condition
for final mounting is such that the entire processes of printing, toning and
fixing may be accomplished in less time, and with no complicated chemical
combinations, than any one of the three portions of the work would require
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 509
with the ordinary aristo or albumen papers. Again, the full values of the
delicate chiaroscuro of the negative are preserved with even greater fidelity
than in the albumen paper, which has in this regard always surpassed the
more modern aristo products, while the Velox insures practical permanency
in every, print made thereon, — there is no fading or disintegration. More
need not be said in regard to the result of the labors of Dr. Baekeland along
this particular line.
We have already referred to the marriage of Dr. Baekeland to Miss
Swarts, and in conclusion we may note that to them three children have
been born: The first child was born in Belguim after the return of the Doc-
tor to that country after his first visit to the United States, the death of the
first-born occurring in Yonkers, after his removal here. In this city were
born his son, George Washington Baekeland, and his little daughter, Nina,
both of whom lend brightness and cheer to the attractive home, which is a
center of refined hospitality.
JOHN M. FURMAN, A. M.
John M. Furman, A. M. , principal of the Irving Institute, in Tarrytown,^
New York, is recognized as an educator of high standing. During the eight
years of his connection with the well known institution just mentioned he has-
abundantly proven his genius and special aptitude in the noble field of
endeavor which he has chosen to be his life work. Year by year he has
found it necessary to increase the facilities of the institute, the patronage of
which is perceptably gaining, and one of his aims being to provide the pupils
entrusted to his care with every educational appliance and advantage possi-
ble and practicable.
Forty-five years ago the Irving Institute was founded, and each year
since then it has sent representatives to the leading colleges and educational
institutions of this country. The various buildings of the schools, erected
expressly for the purposes of the institute, are well lighted and heated with
modern methods and all the conveniences of this enlightened age add to the
comfort and well-being of the pupils. The buildings are situated in the out-
skirts of Tarrytown, on high ground, and the beauty of the surrounding
country and the healthfulness of the location are among the favorable feat-
ures. A gymnasium, erected in 1898, is equipped for thorough physical
exercise and development, and is under the direction of a competent
instructor.
The fortunate students of Irving Institute are considered as members of
the principal's household, and particular pains is taken that only boys and
youths of good family and moral training be admitted here. Excellent dis-
510 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
cipline, sufficiently lenient, yet firm and judicious, is maintained, and incor-
rigible pupils are not permitted to remain in the school. In every respect
the institute sustains its well-earned reputation of being a model school for
boys, as thousands of testimonials from leading families of this and other
states have voluntarily testified. The able corps of instructors in the various
branches of learning are headed by the genial and popular gentleman whose
name stands at the beginning of this review. With an elective system of
studies to cover the admission requirements of all colleges, all of the benefits
of individual and class training are to be found here. Recently a new build-
ing, containing a library and sixteen additional students' rooms, has been
added. The main building is large and cheerful, and the grounds afford
splendid opportunities for all kinds of out-door sports.
John M. Furman was born in Schenectady, New York, September 30,
1866. He received his preparatory education at his native place, and in
1889 graduated from Union College. In 1892 the degree of Master of Arts
was conferred upon him by his alma mater. His high standing and scholar-
ship led to his being tendered the position of principal of the public schools
of Cambridge, New York, which position he held for two years. In 1891
he became principal of Irving Institute. Here he has ample scope for his
financial ability as well as his skill as a teacher and manager, and in each of
these departments of power he has met the requirements and added fresh
laurels to his name. Parents and pupils alike attest his worth and popularity,
and few indeed possess in greater degree the knowledge of the successful
management of growing boys. The influences of a refined Christian home
surround the pupils, and every effort is made to inculcate in them upright
principles and high standards of action, which will be their mainsprings of
■conduct throughout years to come.
WASHBURN BROTHERS.
These well known contractors and builders of Peekskill, New York, have
been successfully engaged in business for the past eighteen years, and on all
sides are seen many notable examples of their skill. The firm is composed
of Harvey M. and Silas W. Washburn, and during the busy season they often
employ as many as thirty men. Thoroughly reliable in all things, the quality
of their work is a convincing test of their personal worth, and in business
circles they occupy an enviable position.
These brothers are sons of Henry S. and Margaret (Green) Washburn,
in whose family were five children, all still living, namely: Harvey M. ; Silas
W. ; Josephine, wife of A. Donaldson, of New Paltz, Ulster county. New
York; George J., who is engaged in business at Davenport, Iowa; and Will-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 511
iam, a carpenter of Peekskill. During the greater part of his life the father
was engaged in agricultural pursuits, and he was always a supporter of the
men and measures of the Democracy. The mother was an earnest and con-
sistent member of the Methodist church.
Harvey M. Washburn was born in Dutchess county, New York, in 1848,
and at the age of nineteen years commenced learning the carpenter's trade,
to which he has ever since devoted his time and attention with marked suc-
cess. He was married at Croton-on- Hudson, July 24, 1874, to Miss Isabella
Purdy, a daughter of Silas J. Purdy, a farmer at that place, and she died
leaving three children: Edith, Catherine and Marion. In his political views
Mr. Washburn is a Democrat, and he has been quite prominently identified
with local affairs, has served in several township offices, and at present is
filling the position of assessor.
Silas W. Washburn is also a native of Dutchess county, born in 1850,
and he began work at his trade at the age of twenty-two years. On the i8th
of November, 1881, he was united in marriage with Miss Eliza L. Lefferts,
of Sing Sing, by whom he has two sons, Ralph L. and Randall G. Her
father died when she was a child and her mother afterward married William
Grant, of Sing Sing. Mr. Washburn takes an active interest in political
affairs, and as a pronounced Democrat he is prominent in political circles.
He is now serving as president and trustee of the fire company at Peekskill.
He was also elected member of the board of water commissioners in 1898,
and is now serving as president of the board. The brothers are both public-
spirited and progressive citizens, giving their support to all measures for the
public good, and those who know them best are numbered among their
warmest friends.
S. WOOD CORNELL.
S. W. Cornell, dealer in lumber and coal, manager of the Cornell Lime
Company, manufacturers of snowflake lime, and president of the Nannanagan
Ice Company, of Pleasantville, New York, is entitled to distinction as one of
the most progressive and enterprising business men of Westchester county.
Upon the commercial activity of a community depends its prosperity, and
the men who are now recognized as leading citizens are those who are at the
head of extensive business enterprises. He is a man of broad capabilities
who carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes.
Mr. Cornell was born in Ulster county, New York. November 26, 1854,
and is a son of William T. Cornell, now deceased. His mother, who bore
the maiden name of Elizabeth Wood, was a daughter of Stephen Wood, of
Mount Kisco, New York. Our subject, one of a family of three children.
512 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
was reared in this county, attending the Mount Kisco schools and later
boarding schools at Poughkeepsie, New York and Providence, Rhode Island.
Mr. Cornell is a most energetic and wide-awake business man, giving
strict attention to every detail of the business under his control, and in his
undertakings he has met with a well deserved success. He is now treasurer
of the Cornell Lime Company, manufacturers of snowflake lime for building
and chemical purposes, their works being established in 1865. He is one of
the most popular and influential men of his community and his circle of
friends and acquaintances is extensive. Politically he is an enthusiastic
Republican.
HENRY SWEET.
The editor and proprietor of the New Rochelle Pioneer, Henry Sweet, is
one of the influential men of the town, and we take pleasure in here referring
personally to him in presenting a brief review of the publication of which he
is the head.
Looking first at the history of the New Rochelle Pioneer, we find it was
established in 1859 by John Dyott, an Englishman, an actor, who had settled
in this country some years before, and who conducted the paper for a number
of years. Afterward it was for several years run by his son and daughter, the
latter now being Mrs. A. Major, of New York city. In 1882 it was sold to
Charles G. Banks, Esq. , who subsequently became associated with Henry C.
Henderson, under the firm name of Banks & Henderson, and from this firm-
it passed into the hands of Steadman & Sweet. In the year 1885 the senior
partner conducted it until his death, in 1889, after which his wife assumed
her husband's interests, and the paper was edited by Mr. Sweet until March
I, 1890. Then Mr. Sweet purchased Mrs. Steadman's interests, and has
since been sole proprietor. In 1897 he erected his new building, a brick
structure, thirty-two by ninety feet, and two stories high, and in March, 1898,
moved into it, now having a modern and complete establishment.
The Pioneer is an eight-page, six-column paper, up to date in every
respect, has a large circulation in the town and county, and is the organ of the
Republican party of the village.
Mr. Sweet is a native of New Rochelle. He was born in this town, June
28, 1864, and is a son of Henry and Eliza Sweet, natives of London, Eng-
land. His parents came to New Rochelle in 1853, where his father died in
1869, his mother still residing there. For eight years his father was sexton
of Trinity church. New Rochelle, which position, after his father's death, has
been held continuously up to the present day by his eldest brother, Joseph.
After coming to New Rochelle, Mr. Sweet's father was a manufacturer of
seals for legal papers of various kinds in the employ of Thaddeus Davids-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 513
& Company, whose place of business is at 127 and 129 William street, New
York city.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the public schools of his
native town. On leaving school he was employed at different places in the
town until he became connected with the newspaper business, in which capacity
he has proven himself master of the situation.
He was j:narried, in 1894, to Miss Lucy Kirchhoff, second daughter
of Joseph Kirchhoff, an old resident and highly respected citizen of New
Rochelle. They have one daughter.
FRANK R. HOLMES.
Holding rank among the leading business men of Mount Vernon, Frank
Riggs Holmes is well known intommercial circles and sustains a high reputa-
tion for reliability and enterprise. He was born in New York city, January
16, 1868, a son of Wilham and Lizzie (Kerchof) Holmes. The ancestry of
the family can be traced back to Francis Holmes and his wife. Ann, who leav-
ing their home in Yorkshire, England, in 1660, crossed the Atlantic to America
and took up their residence in Stamford, Connecticut. Later they removed
to Bedford, Weschester county. New York, becoming pioneer settlers of that
locality. One of their sons, James Holmes, a direct ancestor of our subject,
was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, and John Holmes, Sr., became one of
the original proprietors of Bedford in 1681. He had six sons and two daugh-
ters, and died in 1720, at the age of ninety years. Richard Holmes married
Miss Mary Miller, and the.y "reside in the town of Bedford, Westchester
county. He served as tax collector in 1724, and later participated in the
French and Indian war. One of his sons, Richard Holmes, was a lieutenant
in the British army in 1737, and was the father of Peter Holmes, who married
Mary Holmes, and served his country in the Revolutionary war. He held
the rank of ensign, and later he again entered his country's service in the war
of 1812. John Holmes, a son of Peter, was born December 31, 1752, also
loyally espoused the cause of independence as a Revolutionary hero and was
at one time a member of the continental congress. He married Catherine
Slawson, May 13, 1779, and died December 24, 1839. One of his sons,
James Holmes, was born May 27, 1784, married Elizabeth Starr, and died
in Monticello, New York, in 1817.
William A. Holmes, the grandfather of our subject, was born in the town
of Bedford, and after attaining to man's estate became engaged in the real-
estate business in New York city. He possessed splendid business and exec-
utive ability, and by his judicious investments and careful management
amassed considerable property. The latter years, of his life were spent in
33
514 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
retirement from business cares, in his pleasant home in Mount Vernon. In
his political views he was a stanch Republican, and while residing in Dutphess
county, New York, he held the office of judge. He first married a Miss Brill,
and their son, James Henry Holmes, is ex-secretary of the territory of New
Mexico, and is now a prominent lawyer and real-estate dealer of New York
• city. After the death of his first wife Judge Holmes married Alta Riggs, who
is still living, at the age of ninety years. Their children .were William;
-Agnes, wife of Robert Taylor, a physician of New York city; and Herbert,
who is living a retired life in Mount Vernon. Betsy Holmes, the wife of a
"Mr. Squires, who served in the Revolution, lived to be one hundred and two
years of age.
William Holmes, the father of our subject, was born in Poughquag,
Dutchess county, in December, 1844, attended the district schools of that
meighborhood, and the public schools of New York city. There he engaged
an business with his father, and subsequently became the owner of consider-
■able property. For some time he carried on the grocery trade at the corner
of Fortieth street and Sixth avenue, but in 1887 he removed with his family
to Mount Vernon, where he has since conducted a large and profitable gro-
cery and dairy business. He has admitted his son Frank to a partnership,
under the firm name of Holmes & Son, and the firm ranks foremost among
the leaders in the line. In his political views he is a Republican, socially he
ds connected with the Masonic fraternity, and in his religious views he is a
Presbyterian. He was also at one time a member of the old volunteer fire
department of New York city. He has two sons, Frank R. and Robert Wal-
lace, the latter an electrician, formerly with the Edison Electric Company,
but now a resident of Denver, Colorado.
Frank Riggs Holmes pursued his education in the pubhc schools of New
York city and was graduated with the class of 1888. He then engaged in
the brush-importing business in the metropolis for a time, and later was con-
nected with other enterprises. In the meantime he had become interested
in the grocery and dairy business at Mount Vernon, and in 1897 removed his
family to this city, where he has since resided. He now devotes his attention
almost exclusively to the conduct of their extensive trade. They have a large
and well appointed grocery store and employ three wagons in the dehvery of
their goods. They also have a number of wagons used in delivering their
dairy products to the customers, their trade in that line being larger than that
of any other dairy firm in the city.
Mr. Holmes was married on the 7th of June, 1892, the lady of his choice
being Miss Grace S. Baily, a daughter of Lewis and Ann M. (Scott) Baily.
Her father is engaged in the leather business in New York city, and is a vet-
eran of the Seventh Regiment, New York State National Guard. Mrs. Holmes
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 515
is an only daughter, and by her marriage -she has two children, Dorothy
Anna and Frank R. Mr. Holmes and his family occupy a very fine residence
on Clinton Place, Chester Hill, Mount Vernon, and their home is the center
of a cultured society circle. Mr. Holmes is a member of Hiawatha Lodge,
F. & A. M., and Golden Rod Council, Royal Arcanum. His political sup-
port is given the men and measures of the Republican party, but office-hold-
ing has had no attraction for him, his attention being fully occupied with his
extensive business interests and his social duties. His genial manner renders
him popular in all circles, and he is accounted one of the leading and valued
citizens of Mount Vernon.
EZRA M. POWELL.
Ezra Marshall Powell, of Cortlandt township, Westchester county.
New York, was born in this county, December 29, 18 19, the son of Stephen
Powell and grandson of John Powell. John Powell was of Scotch descent,
and both he and his wife, Elizabeth, lived for many years at Somerstown,
Westchester county, of which place they were early settlers, and there they
died and were buried. Stephen Powell was born in Somerstown. He mar-
ried Miss Fanny Hyatt, daughter of Samuel Hyatt, of Westchester county,
and to them were born nine children, viz. : David, Daniel, Stephen, Joseph,
William, Ezra M., Deborah, Earl and Mary. All of this large family are
deceased except Ezra M., the subject of our sketch. The mother died at
the age of seventy-three years, and the father was eighty-two when he died.
He was a man of many sterling qualities, was by occupation a farmer, and
in religion a member of the Society of Friends, commonly designated
Quakers.
Ezra M. Powell was reared and educated in his native county, and
farming has been his life work. He was, however, for some time interested
in the insurance business. For the past thirty-two years he has hved on his
present farm, formerly known as the Thonell Jacobs farm. It consists of
twenty acres, is located a mile and a half from the village of Peekskill, and
is under a most perfect state of cultivation.
Mr. Powell was married in Cortlandt township, November 20, 1849, to
Miss Mary Elizabeth Miller, a native of this township and a daughter of
Cornite Miller. They have had three children: Louisa, who died, aged
eleven years; and Fanny and Hattie. Fanny is the wife of Charles Yellott.
Hattie became the wife of Samuel Pugsley, who died, leaving his widow with
two children. Flossy and Winnie. Mrs. Pugsley lost one child, Lilian, at
the age of twelve years and six months. Mr. Powell's daughter, Fanny,
was educated in the State Normal School at Albany, New York. Mr. Powell
516 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
and his family are all consistent members of the Dutch Reformed church at
Peekskill.
Mr. Powell has served as commissioner of highways in Cortlandt town-
ship for three terms of three years each, and is a very worthy citizen.
Politically he affiliates with the Democratic party.
JAMES HOPKINS.
James Hopkins, of Armonk, Westchester county, was born March i,
1830, in the county in which he now lives and in which he has made his home
to the present time. He traces his ancestry back in a direct line to England
and to the year 16 16.
Thomas Hopkins, a son of William and Joanna (Arnold) Hopkins, was
born in England, April 7, 1616, and came to Providence, Rhode Island, about
1640. He had three sons. With his daughter-in-law and her two children
he removed to Little Neck, near Musketo Cove, now called Glen Cove, Long
Island, and died there in 1684. His children were Ichabod, who married
Sarah Coles and died in 1726, leaving children: Thomas, who married Mar-
garet Pine in 1738; Daniel, who married Anny Weeks; Elizabeth, who be-
came the wife of Benjamin Birdsall in 1734; Ann, who never married; and
Sarah, who became the wife of Joseph Merritt in 1736.
Thomas, the son of Ichabod, moved to the town of North Castle, Ne~w
York, about the year 1740. The children of Thomas and his wife Margaret
were Thomas, Daniel, Benjamin, Margaret, Naomy and Ann. Thomas, the
son of Thomas, was born in 1740, and married, January 14, 1767, Zeruiah
Palmer, according to the rules of order of the Society of Friends, at their
meeting-house in the Purchase, and to them six children were born, namely:
James, born October 14, 1767, married Mary Tripp and died August 29, 1859;
Elizabeth, born June 5, 1769, married Job Cox and died September 30, 1828;
Samuel, born June 8, 1771, died September i, 1828; Mary, who was born
August 14, 1773, died unmarried, December 5, 1825; Thomas, Jr., who was
born June 27, 1783, died July 17, 1837; and Pine, who was born February
14, 1786, married Hannah Tripp and died August 29, 1856.
James Hopkins, the first, married Mary Tripp, and to them were born
two sons, — John and Alfred. The latter married Mary Brower, and their
union was blessed in the birth of one child, Eleanor, who is now living at
Stamford, Connecticut. John T. Hopkins married Hannah Dayton, a native
of the same county in which he was born and a daughter of David and Martha
(Wood) Dayton. This worthy couple became the parents of five children,
viz.: Alexander, deceased; Ed. R., also deceased; James, the subject of this
sketch; Josephine, deceased; and Mary Elizabeth, who married William Ire-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 517
land. Their father was a merchant and a farmer, and died in 1868, at the
age of seventy-six years; their mother Hved to be sixty years of age. She
was a member of the Episcopal church.
After reaching manhood James Hopkins turned his attention to mer-
chandising, and from 1857 to 1880 kept a general store. He has for years
been more or less interested in pohtical matters, and has filled a number of
positions of prominence and trust in his township. His first presidential vote
was cast for John C. Fremont, in 1856, and he has ever since given his sup-
port to the Republican party. Among the offices tendered to him by his
party are those of postmaster, which position he accepted and filled for
twenty-three years; town supervisor, twelve years, and was chairman of the
board the last year of his service; and township clerk and justice of the
peace. He resides upon a farm near Armonk, where he has a pleasant and
attractive home, which he is pleased to call Brookside.
In 1850 Mr. Hopkins married Miss Mary J. Smith, a daughter of Abram
and Caroline Smith. Her father was a well known and popular citizen of
Westchester county and has long been deceased. Their happy union lasted
for a period of twenty-six years and ended with her death in 1876, — the
great loss in Mr. Hopkins' life. She was a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church. Of the five children born to them only two are living, — •
Edwin R. and Abram S. The deceased were Josephine, Carrie and James
Warren. Both his sons are married and settled in life. Edwin R. married
Miss Cornelia Davis, and they have two children, — Floyd and Edwin. Abram
S. married Miss Anna Flewellin, and five children were born to them: Mary
I., who died in 1897, Niles, Eulalia, Gertrude and A. Josephine.
Since 1881 Mr. Hopkins had devoted his energies to the mastery of the
business of farming, the most ennobling employment in the world, but finds
that he commenced too late in life to realize the best results. For a number
of years he has been a member of the board of managers of the Agricultural
and Horticultural Society of Westchester, county, of which he has been
president for the last two years. He has long been a member of the Method-
ist Episcopal church at Armonk, and as a member of the building committee
assisted in the erection of the new church edifice, which is one of the attrac-
tions of the village, and he has held the office of trustee of the society for
many years.
REUBEN BORLAND.
Though but thirty-one years of age, Reuben Borland, one of the native-
born sons of the city of Yonkers, occupies a position of responsibility ^nd
trust such as few young men of his age are honored with. The confidence
and regard in which he is held by his employers, however, is not misplaced,
518 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
for no one could have a more thorough sense of duty or more earnest desire
to meet every requirement of an important and difficult position than he, and
during the fifteen years of his service for his firm he has always been found
faithful to their interests, active and anxious to promote their welfare.
The birth of Reuben Borland took place in Yonkers on the 2d of March,
1868. He is a son of James and Sarah (Sloss) Borland, and when he had
attained a suitable age he became a student in the public schools of this city.
He was graduated here in 1883 and soon afterward entered upon his business
career. Entering the employ of the famed Alexander Smith Carpet Com-
pany, he began at the bottom rounds of the ladder, and was gradually pro-
moted from spool-boy in the sitting department to one and another position,
and finally was made foreman of the yarn department. Then, having
become thoroughly familiar with every detail of the sitting department, and
having served for four or five years as assistant foreman, he was promoted to
the post of foreman, and acted in that capacity until 1894. For the past four
years he has been superintendent of the great "moquette" mill, where he
has five foremen to assist him, and has under his supervision about eighteen
hundred persons. In this mill are manufactured moquette carpets, the hand-
somest and most expensive carpets that are made. The Alexander Smith
Carpet Company has a world-wide reputation, and is, indeed, the most
extensive concern of the kind in this or any other country. Forty-five hun-
dred persons are employed by the establishment, and the carpets which are
manufactured here find their way into every portion of the civilized world.
The highest possible excellence of goods, quality, style and workmanship is
maintained, and thus the great importance of Mr. Borland's position is
apparent. He duly appreciates the high esteem in which his superiors hold
him, and for years their business relations have been of the pleasantest and
most satisfactory nature all around.
In local society Mr. Borland is a great favorite, and he is a member of
the Hollywood Gun Club. His principal diversion in his leisure moments,
however, is music. He has become very proficient on the violin, and is
taking a special course of instruction to further perfect himself in the use of
that instrument. In political affairs he is a stalwart Republican. He is a
member of the Episcopal church, and is liberal in his gifts to religious and
charitable enterprises.
EDWARD WHITE.
To a student of human nature there is nothing of greater interest than
to examine the life of a self-made man and analyze the principles that he has
followed, the methods he has pursued; to know what means he has employed
for advancement, and to study the plans which have given him prominence,
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 519
enabling him to pass on the highway of life many who have had a more
advantageous start. Through his own efforts Mr. White has attained to a
position of prominence in business circles, and he is to-day a leading mer-
chant and undertaker of Croton, New York.
He was born in that place, November 23, 1851, and is a son of Patrick
and Margaret (Cartigan) White, both natives of Ireland, the former born in
Queens county, the latter in county Kilkenny. When young they crossed
the Atlantic, and their marriage was celebrated in New York city. On coming
to Westchester county they located on the sand flat below the old Croton
dam, and when the dam gave way they lost all their property and barely
escaped with their lives. The father, who was a laborer, died in the prime
of life, at about the age of forty-seven years. In his family were nine chil-
dren, of whom four are now deceased. In order of birth they are as follows:
William, who was foreman in the brickyard at Virplanks, and is now deceased;
Charles, a boatsman, deceased; Mary Ann; John, deceased, who was for many
years captain of engine No. 12, fire department, New York city; Catherine;
Margaret; Thomas, a grocer of Peekskill, New York; Edward; and Elizabeth,
who is deceased.
At the early age of nine years Edward White began earning his own
livelihood as an employe in a brick-yard, and he continued to follow that
occupation until he attained his majority, during which time he saved his
money and assisted in caring for his aged mother. At the age of seventeen
he decided to embark in business on his own account, in connection with his
brother Thomas, and at the end of two years they had saved from their earnings
six hundred dollars, after having paid off an indebtedness of one hundred
and seventy-five dollars. With this capital they started in business, spend-
ing five hundred dollars for a stock of groceries and liquors, and in this way
the present mercantile establishment of our subjects was founded. At the
end of about four years they dissolded partnership and Edward has since
been alone. He has a good general store, well stocked with a high class of
goods, and since 1884 has also been interested in the undertaking business,
doing the only business in that line in the village. At Sing Sing he also
established a business similar to his own in Croton, and in partnership with
John Dorsey the store is conducted under the firm style of White & Dorsey.
Mr. White has since twice married, his first wife being Miss Mary Ann
Vaughey, and she and the three children born to them all died within a few
months. His second union was with Miss Elizabeth Donovan, by whom he
has had four children, Maggie, Mamie and Catharine, all living, and one
deceased. Mr. and Mrs. White are communicants of the Roman Catholic
church, but Mr. White gives liberally of his means to the support of all
churches, and his aid is never witheld from any enterprise which he believes
520 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
will prove of good to the community. He is a public-spirited, progressive
citizen, broad-minded and liberal in his views, and has the confidence and
esteem of all who know him. The Democratic party has always found in
him a stanch supporter of its principles, and he has been an influential dele-
gate to its various county conventions, and has also been a member of the
town committee for years. For five or six years he filled the office of over-
seer of the poor, and is now president of the board of fire commissioners.
BENJAMIN FAGAN.
Mr. Fagan, who is a well-known attorney of Sing Sing, is one of the
younger members of the Westchester county bar, but his prominence is by
no means measured by his years; on the contrary, he has already won a repu-
tation which many an older practitioner might well envy.
Mr. Fagan was born in Brooklyn, New York, April i, 1874, and is a son
of Thomas and Mary (Guilfoil) Fagan, both of whom are natives of the
Emerald Isle, and who now reside at Sing Sing. The father, who is a stone-
cutter by occupation, is of Irish descent and has made his home in West-
chester county for the past thirty years. In the family are six children,
namely: Edward, a manufacturer of metallic roofing paint at Lincoln,
Nebraska; John, a resident of Westchester county and a member of the
engineering corps of New York city; Frank, a stonecutter of Sing Sing;
Catharine E., at home; Joseph, also a stonecutter of Sing Sing; and
Benjamin.
The subject of this sketch first attended public schools and later a pre-
paratory school, after which he entered Cornell University in 1892, taking a
complete course in law. There the degree of LL.B. was conferred upon
him June 21, 1894, and the degree of LL. M. June 20, 1895. In the latter
year he opened an office in Sing Sing, and has since successfully engaged in
practice, making a specialty of corporation and real-estate law. He is thor-
oughly in love with his profession and is eminently gifted with the capabihties
of mind which are indispensable at the bar. As a Democrat he takes quite
an active and prominent part in political affairs and is an efficient campaign
worker in this state. Religiously, he is a member of the Catholic church of
Sing Sing.
JAMES F. HUNT.
The well known and popular young postmaster of Croton, New York,
has spent his entire life at that place, his birth occurring there January 31,
1869. His father, John Hunt, was a native of Kings county, Ireland, and
was twice married, having by his first wife one child. In New York city, he
//^^i^^^u^>^ v^J^^^a-^^^:,
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 521
wedded Miss Ellen McGuire, the mother of our subject, and in 1866 they
removed to Westchester county, where he worked as a laborer until life's
labors were over and he was called to his final rest, in 1882. In religious
faith he was a Roman Catholic.
The schools of Croton afforded James F. Hunt his educational advant-
ages, and when his school days were over he engaged in various forms of
labor. At the age of thirteen years he commenced working at brick-making
and while thus employed attended school during the winter months. He
made excellent use of his opportunities and passed the required examination
at North Tarrytown for the normal course. He early learned that knowledge
is the key with which the poor boy anywhere can open the storehouse of the
world and cull its choicest fruits, and he has therefore fitted himself to
occupy any position in life which may fall to his lot.
Mr. Hunt always gives his political support to the men and measures of
the Democracy, and takes a deep interest in local affairs. On the 25th of
May, 1895, hs was first appointed postmaster of Croton, and when the office
was raised to that of the third class he was reappointed, October i, 1896,
and on the expiration of his commission, in February, 1897, was again
appointed to the same position, as he had so creditably and satisfactorily
discharged his duties. He was also appointed notary public in May, 1897,
by ex-Governor Black, and still holds that office.
JAMES H. JACKSON.
True' merit is recognized sooner or later, the exceptions simply proving
the rule; and thus it has been in the case of James H. Jackson, a well known
citizen of Yonkers, who has climbed to the very responsible position which
he now occupies, solely on account of his genuine business ability and per-
sonal worth. His superiors in the great commercial house with which he is
connected feel that in him they have one in whom they can place implicit
trust and confidence, certain that he will not neglect the least of his duties,
and that everything which he agrees to accomplish will be promptly and con-
scientiously performed. Such employes are the strong foundations on which
every successful business is reared, and the great and prosperous merchants
=of this decade acknowledge this fact cheerfully and act accordingly.
James H. Jackson comes from sturdy Protestant-Irish stock, than which
there is none better nor more loyal to the highest motives which govern
citizens of this great republic, once they have come under its mantle of
protection. James Jackson, the father of our subject, was a native of the
northern part of the Emerald Isle, there growing to manhood. He learned
the trade of gardening and found his chief pleasure among the plants and
522 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
trees, in the pure, open air, for he was a great lover of nature. Coming to
the United States when a young man he followed his favorite occupation
during his entire active life — for a period in Boston, Massachusetts, and for
about a quarter of a century in New York city and Yonkers. His home
was in this city for several decades and here he was an active and earnest
member of Westminster Presbyterian church. In his political faith he was
a zealous Republican. He enjoyed the esteem and genuine regard of all
who knew him. The maiden name of his wife was Sarah Matthews.
The birth of James H. Jackson took place in Riverdale, now a part of
New York city, April 22, 1858. For some time he was a pupil in Yonkers
school No. 6, but when he was a lad of about fourteen he left his studies
and commenced working in the hat factory of John T. Waring, being
employed there for some three years. In 1885 he became connected with
the Alexander Smith Carpet Mills, and was here occupied in the weaving of
chenille by hand, and later he secured employment in the dyeing department
of the moquette mills for three years. Since 1894 he has held the position of
head of this important department, and has under his supervision one hun-
dred and ten men. He is a thorough and practical master of his trade, and
takes special pride and interest in the excellence of the work turned out from
his branch of the immense establishment, which is one of the largest carpet
manufactories m the world. In the matter of politics Mr. Jackson adheres
to the creed of his father, and renders his allegiance to the nominees and
principles set forth by the Republican party.
The pleasant and thoroughly attractive home of our subject and his
recently wedded bride is one in which their numerous friends delight to
assemble, for the hospitality of the host and hostess is genuine and free from
ostentation. Mrs. Jackson was Miss Mildred J. Bell, a daughter of the late
John Bell, a respected citizen of Yonkers, and her marriage to Mr. Jack-
son was solemnized on the 19th of October, 1898.
REUBEN BARNES.
The honored subject of this memoir was for a long term of years one of
the prominent and most respected citizens of Yonkers, with whose upbuild-
ing and material prosperity he was closely identified, while in all that con-
serves the uphfting of men into the plane of right living he was ever to be
found zealous and earnest in doing good to all, ever mindful of the lofty prin-
ciples expressed in the Golden Rule. He lived to attain the venerable age of
eighty-one years, passing to his reward at the close of a well spent life, secure
in the lasting esteem and veneration of those who had come within the influ-
ence of his pure and unassuming character.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 523-
Reuben Barnes was born in Preston, near Norwich, Connecticut, on the-
8th of July, 1810,. being one of eleven children. When twenty-two years of
age he went to Mobile, Alabama, where for about twelve years, as architect.
and builder, he was engaged in business with his brother, James Barnes.
There also he made the acquaintance of Miss Mary Hodge, of North Adams,
Massachusetts, to whom he was married in 1837. In 1884 he returned to
the north, locating in Poughkeepsie, New York. While there he erected'
many buildings, among the more inportant of which was the Cannon Street
Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was an active and efficient member.
In the year 1852 Mr. Barnes removed to Yonkers, where for nearly forty
years he was actively and prominently concerned in manufacturing and build-
ing. He was animated by the stanchest integrity in thought, word and deed,
and upon his business career as well as his private life there rested no shadow
of wrong. He was called upon to mourn the loss of his devoted wife in the
spring of 1881. She was born in North Adams, Massachusetts, whence her
parents eventually removed to Michigan, becoming pioneers of Jackson
county, that state, where all the other children of the family also located,
becoming prominent and substantial citizens. Of the large family of brothers-
and sisters only one is now surviving, Mrs. Sarah A. Baker, widow of Dr-
Timothy Baker, of Union City, Michigan. At the time of Mrs. Barnes' death
three of her children were surviving, namely: Martha, the wife of James B.
Odell, of Yonkers; Hiram Barnes, an architect and builder of Yonkers; and
Mary, who is unmarried. Of these Mrs. Odfell died on the 21st of June, 1894.
In the fall of 1882 Mr. Barnes consummated a second marriage, being
then united to Miss Nancy Sample, of Norwich, Connecticut, who survives
him. In June, 1891, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes visited Norwich and Preston,
Connecticut, and while in his native place the subject of this memoir was
taken ill and at once returned to his home, 188 Buena Vista avenue, Yonkers,
where on July 28, 1891, he was compelled to yield to the inexorable sum-
mons of death, passing away in the fullness of years and honors. His mortal
remains were interred in St. John's cemetery. While in Mobile Mr. Barnes
was soundly converted, and thereafter lived an earnest, consistent Christian
life. He was a man of deep convictions and was endowed with a courage
sufficient to express them, but his entire life was a beautiful lesson of charity
and good will to all. For many years he was an active and official member
of the first Methodist Episcopal church of Yonkers, and when the Central
Methodist church was organized he became an earnest and zealous member
and supporter of the same, being at one time president of the board of trus-
tees. There are many in Yonkers who will ever revert with deep respect
and affection to this noble and kindly pioneer, whose life was one worthy of
emulation.
524 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
WILLIAM OAKLEY HOBBY.
Mr. Hobby is one of the most enterprising young business men of West-
chester county, his success in the past few years being nothing short of
phenomenal, yet accounted for only by his excellent methods of transacting
and managing his financial affairs. He deserves great credit for the pros-
perity and high standing he has achieved, and the future for him is one of
much promise, judging from what he has alreadyaccomplished. In political
matters he is liberal, using his ballot for the nominee whom he considers best
qualified to fill any given position, and he has served as a city committee-
man. For the most part, he uses his franchise in favor of the Democratic
platform and party. Fraternally he is a member of Hiawatha Lodge, F. &
A. M. ; of Mount Vernon Encampment of St. John of Malta; the Ancient
Order of Foresters; the Mount Vernon City Club, and at the .present time is
a member of the Central Hose Company. In all matters affecting the city
and community he takes zealous interest, his influence being ever given to
progress and improvements in all lines.
W. O. Hobby is a son of James R. and Kate C. (Gent) Hobby, and was
born in the city of New York, February i8, 1867. He received his education
in the schools of the metropolis, graduating in the same. He then entered
the employ of Acker, Merrill & Condit, of New York city, and remained with
them for five years, thoroughly learning the details of the wholesale liquor
business. Afterward he was for a short time an employe of Luyties Brothers,
of the same city, that firm being in the same line of trade.
Seven years ago Mr. Hobby came to Mount Vernon and established a
bottling plant at Boston road and Third avenue. He began this enterprise
on a small scale, at first employing but one wagon. At the end of two years
his business had doubled and two wagons were necessary to deliver his goods,
and at last he was impelled to seek increased facilities for handling his large
and remunerative trade. Then, for a few years, he did business at No. 37
South Fifth avenue. In 1898 he was again obliged to extend his business
and increase the capacity of his plant, and he accordingly organized the
Hobby Bottling Company, of which he is the president and general manager.
He is also the agent and collector for the Henry Zeltnor Brewing Company
and the William A. Miles Brewing Company, of New York city.
The handsome new brick building which the Hobby Bottling Company
occupies at Nos. 21, 23, 25 Prospect avenue, is constructed in a modern man-
ner, the style of architecture being particularly pleasing.- The front is of
pressed brick and the building, three stories in height, is fifty by one hundred
feet in dimensions. The brick stables and wagon-house in the rear of the
lot are thirty by one hundred feet in dimensions. The machinery with which
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 525'
the works are fitted is of the most approved modern style, every possible
device for convenience and rapidity of working, etc., being found here.
Everything that can possibly be done by machinery is done, and the high
grade of the goods turned out here is all the proof necessary of the merits of
the system in use. Only the best class of hotels and families are catered to,
and only the finest and most expensive materials are utilized in the manu-
facture of the various "soft" drinks and other styles of liquor bottled here.
Tanglewylde spring water, positively pure and sweet, and Saratoga spring
gases (in use in carbonated waters) are used exclusively, and pure fruit syrups
and extracts are manufactured in the plant, by cold process, in porcelain
tanks. Two carbonaters, one for high, and one for low pressure, are used,
thus keeping the waters charged absolutely free from all vitreous and marble
dust. From the time when the pure spring water enters the tanks until the
sparkling beverage is corked and labeled in the special bottles of the company
(corked with a specially fine "Crown" cork), the entire process is carried on.
automatically. This finely-equipped plant cost upwards of forty-seven thou-
sand dollars, and in 1897 one hundred thousand dollars' worth of business
was transacted by the company. In the manufacture, sale and delivery of
the^beer, ale and lager, carbonated waters, "soft" drinks, etc., forty men
are afforded employment and fifteen wagons are kept running continuously.
The firm has branch agencies at Mamaroneck and White Plains. All things
considered, the works here are as complete as any to be found in New York,
city and they are far superior to many of the bottling establishments in vari-
ous other large cities. The Hobby Bottling Company contemplate enlarg-
ing their plant and buildings by the addition of another floor to the main
building in the spring of 1899, doubling its capacity.
William Oakley Hobby was united in marriage, July 14, 1887, to Miss
Kate Agnes Rehil, a daughter of Thomas and Rose Rehil, and to this union
have been born three children, viz. : Kate, William and Charles.
FRANCIS J. HACKETT.
For the past ten years Francis James Hackett has been engaged in bus-
iness in Yonkers, Westchester county, and has won an enviable reputation
for square dealing, thoroughness and general reliability. He is quite a factor
in local Democratic politics, and is now representing the seventh ward, as
an alderman. This ward is the largest one in the place, comprising, as it
does, about one-third of the territory covered by the city, and its importance^
therefore, is obvious. Mr. Hackett was elected to this office in 1897, and
has been in thorough sympathy with all movements of public improvement,
judicious expenditure of the people's funds, and progress along all lines. The-
.526 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
same good judgment which he exercises in the management of his own busi-
ness affairs he brings to bear in his public office, and thus his friends and the
citizens in general place great confidence in his ability and wisdom. Often
he has been delegated to attend the various conventions of his party, and for
years he has been aggressive in the support of the banners of the Democracy.
He belongs to the Seventh Ward Democratic Club and is connected with the
city fire department. Socially he is a member of the Improved Order of
Red Men and of the Knights of Columbus.
Francis J. Hackett is one of the eight children of Charles and Elizabeth
(Fitzpatrick) Hackett, five of the number being sons. He was born Novem-
ber 23, 1865, in the city of New York and there acquired his education in
the public and parochial schools. When he was seventeen years of age he
left his studies and entered upon the more serious business of life. His father
was a stone-cutter by trade, and the son concluded to follow the same line
of business. For five years he worked as a journeyman, and at the end of
that time, believing that he was master of the trade, he embarked in the
same line of work upon his own account, at his present location on Midland
avenue, in the seventh ward. He quarries and deals in all kinds of building
stone and does a very extensive business, employing as many as sixty-five
men at one time, during busy seasons. By well directed energy and enter-
prise he has succeeded in building up an extensive trade, and all with whom
he has had dealings speak in terms of praise of the manner in which he fulfils
contracts and adheres .to the letter thereof. He is a member of St. Joseph's
Roman Catholic church and is liberal in his benevolences and contribu-
tions to the worthy poor. Kindly by nature, and having himself worked his
own way upward, he is ever ready to lend a helping hand to those less fortu-
nate than himself.
CHARLES HENRY DWORNICZAK.
The subject of this sketch is better known at Croton, New York, where
he is engaged in the drug business, by the name of Cfiarles Henry, than he is
by his full name. He is a German by birth, early association and education,
but has been a resident of this country since 1862 and is thoroughly identified
with America and her interests.
He was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1841, and in his native land had
the advantage of college training, his education being directed toward the
medical profession. He did not, however, enter the practice of that profes-
sion. When he started out to make his own way in the world it was as a
bookkeeper in a wholesale house m Hamburg, Germany, the business being
an American one. In 1862, owing to a lull in business in Germany, he came
to America, and the next three years he traveled throughout the United
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 527
States, looking for a business opening, from time to time accepting various
forms of employment. Finally, in 1866, he located in Peekskill, New York,
and there married Miss Matilda Biettinger, a New Jersey lady.
Mr. Henry continued to reside in Peekskill for two years. In 1868 he
Avent to Plank's Point and opened a barber shop, which he conducted for two
years, but owing to ill health he found a change of location was necessary,
and his next move was to Croton, where he has since resided. Here he found
opportunity to bring into action his medical education. He opened a drug
•store, soon built up a good business, and has been successfully engaged in
this line of trade ever since. On turning his attention to the drug business,
he naturally became interested in the drug societies throughout the county
and state. For two years he was president of the County Pharmacy Society
and he has long been active in pharmacy, his name being No. 68 on the regis-
ter of the State Board of Pharmacy. He has a fine library, including a wide
range of books on scientific subjects, principally psychology, in which he
takes special interest, having been a great student from his boyhood up to the
present time. He has written several articles on scientific subjects, and strives
to enlighten rather than follow. As a citizen, he is public-spirited and pro-
gressive, ever looking to the best interests of his town, and at this writing
holds the office of treasurer of Croton. He was one of the organizers of the
iire department of the village. He is a member of the United Friends, and
politically is a Democrat.
ELBERT S. N. WILLSON.
Mr. Willson is serving as justice of the peace in North Salem, a posi-
tion which he has filled for twelve years, with credit to himself and satisfac-
tion to his constituents. He is thoroughly impartial in meting out justice,
his opinions being unbiased by either fear or favor, and his fidelity to the
trust reposed in him is above question. He is regarded as one of the lead-
ing and highly respected citizens of North Salem township, and it is, there-
fore, consistent that he be represented in a work whose province is the
protrayal of the lives of the prominent men of Westchester county.
Mr. Willson is a native of Somers township, and is the only child of
Nehemiah and Eliza Ann (Smith) Willson. The father was born in Lewis-
.borough township, this county, December 14, 1806, and was a son of Jus-
tice and Phoebe (Searles) Willson, farming people. The birth of the
grandfather is supposed to have occurred on Long Island, New York. His
children, all of whom save one are deceased, were: Thomas, who was a
farmer of Wisconsin; Belinda, who became the wife of Rev. George Coles;
John, a farmer, who died in Massachusetts; Nancy, who was the wife of
William Rogers, a silver manufacturer of Hartford, Connecticut; Nehemiah,
528 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
the father of our Subject; and Electa, who is the only one living, is unmar-
ried and resides in Hartford. The children born to Rev. George Coles and
wife were as follows: Mary Frances, who married Rev. Erastus O. Haven,
who was one of the leading educators of this country and was a bishop in
the Methodist Episcopal church for many years prior to his death; Elizabeth,
who married Rev. George W. Woodruff, D. D., a Methodist Episcopal min-
ister belonging to the Eastern conference of New York; George W. J., who
served through the civil war and is now clerking in New York city; and
James S., who also was one of the boys in blue, died in the service. In
connection with farming Nehemiah Willson, our subject's father, conducted
a store in North Salem and for some time he served as supervisor of that
place. Politically he was first a Whig and later a Republican. He died in
1889, and his wife passed away in 1884, honored and respected by all who
knew them.
Elbert S. N. Willson has always made his home upon his present farm
of thirty acres, and to general farming has devoted much of his time. His
education was acquired in the North Salem Academy. He now gives special
attention to the raising of chickens, having upon his place some very fine
specimens of Buff Leghorns and Plymouth Rocks, and has won several
premiums at the poultry fairs in New York. He is one of the leaders of the
Republican party in his township, and is quite influential and prominent in
public affairs, having since 1886 most acceptably filled the offices of assessor
and justice of the peace.
On the 19th of October, 1859, Mr. Willson wedded Miss Mary J. Todd,
who was born in Lewisborough township November 24, 1836, a daughter of
Abraham and Maria (Wescott) Todd. Three daughters bless this union:
Eliza Ann, wife of Theodore Knapp, a farmer of Lewisborough township, by
whom she had three children, — Lillian, Arthur and Ernest; Florence W.r
wife of Gilbert B. Burr, a farmer of Ridgefield, Connecticut; and Loretta B.,
wife of Gilbert M. Anderson, a clerk in New York city, by whom she has one
child, Gilbert M., Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Willson and their children are earnest
members of the Methodist Episcopal church, with which he is officially con-
nected, and the family are held in high esteem by all who know them.
JOHN O. MERRITT.
Mr. Merritt, who is a prominent contractor and builder at Port Chester,
was born December 12, 1837, at Greenwich, Connecticut, which place, by
the way, is but three miles from Port Chester, New York. Of this place also
his father, William Merritt, was a native, and he also was a mason, contractor
and builder, his operations in these lines being very extensive. He died at
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 529
the advanced age of eighty-six years. During the war of 1812 he enlisted
for service in the army, but was not called into action. In his politics he
was a Democrat, and in religion a member of the Methodist church. Jesse
Merritt, the father of the last mentioned, was also a native of Greenwich,
where he passed all his life, also as a mason and contractor, and he also died
at the age of eighty-six years. His father was from England, coming with
two brothers and settling upon a farm at Greenwich, which place is still in
the possession of the family.
William Merritt, the father of John O., married Miss Jane Ann Han-
cock, of New York, and a daughter of William Hancock, who was a native
of England and a sea captain. He was taken prisoner by the British during
the war of 18 12 and held in captivity for three years. Mrs. Jane Ann Mer-
ritt died when about sixty years of age, a zealous and exemplary Methodist.
Mr. John O. Merritt remained on the farm of his father until twenty-five
years of age, learning meanwhile the mason's trade, of his father and an older
brother. At that time he came to Port Chester, where he has ever since
resided and carried on his trade. After coming here he followed his trade as
a journeyman for a short time and then engaged in contracting for and build-
ing sewers, walls and large factories, — among the latter being the Glenville
Woolen Mills, the New Rochelle school-house, etc. His operations at pres-
ent comprise the laying of water pipes, sewers, etc., and road building. He
now has a thirty-thousand-dollar contract for laying the track of the trolley
street-car line at Port Chester. Mr. Merritt has always been an enterprising
and successful man in business. In politics he has ever been an influential
and active Democrat; was village trustee three terms, and for seven years
was a member of the fire department.
He was united in matrimony with Miss Eliza J. Parker, of Harrison
township, this county, and they have two children, — Freeman, a contractor
at East Chester, New York; and Edith, the wife of Henry Buckout, of White
Plains, this county.
WILLIAM H. AND GEORGE NELSON.
The Nelson Brothers, who are dairy farmers of Somers township, are
two of the most energetic and enterprising business men of Westchester
county. They embarked in the dairy busi-ness about 1878, under the firm
name of Nelson Brothers, but business is now conducted under the name of
W. H. Nelson. On starting out they had only twenty-five cows, but as their
trade gradually grew they purchased more, and now have from five to six
hundred head. They have established a large milk depot at No. 210 West
Thirty-fifth street, New York city, where they dispose of most of their prod-
uct in a wholesale business. Their large farm comprises about twenty-five
34
530 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
hundred acres of valuable land, and in connection with its operation they have
been extensively engaged in raising fine horses, and have some excellent
specimens of the noble steed upon their place. Both brothers are natural
mechanics, and upon their farm they have shops equipped for making all
necessary repairs on machinery, etc. They also manufacture their own
wagons and have turned out some fine carriages from their factory. They
devote about three hundred acres to the raising of corn, which large area
implies that the product is the largest amount of that cereal raised on any
farm in the county. They started at the very bottom of the ladder finan-
cially, but by their combined efforts, industry and determination to succeed,
they have built up a most extensive and profitable business, now furnishing
efnployment to about fifty men all the year around.
The parents of these gentlemen were Henry G. and Prudy K. (Sarles)
Nelson. The father died in i860, at the age of forty-seven years, but the
mother is still hale and hearty, at the age of eighty. Our subjects were their
only children, William being born in 1846, and George in 1850. Both were
principally educated in the public schools, though they pursued a business
and collegiate course for a short time. They are wide-awake, energetic men
of known reliability, and occupy an enviable position in the business world
of this part of the country. Both vote the Democratic ticket, but George
takes a more active part in political affairs than his brother. He was mar-
ried February 17, 1898, to Miss Katie L. , daughter of Samuel and Emma
Lounsbury, and they reside on the old Nelson homestead, two miles west of
Katonah.
GEORGE E. CARRIGAN.
The efficient chief of police of Sing Sing. New York, is a native of West-
chester county, born April 14, 1862, and is a son of James Edward and Mary
Elizabeth (Anderson) Carrigan. The father also was born in this county, in
1822, and was here reared to manhood. Almost his entire life was passed
upon the water, and at the early age of fourteen years he was given command
of the sloop Ben Brandreth, plying between Croton and New York city. He
was later accredited with being one of the best and most successful navigators
that plied the Hudson river, and was the owner of several different vessels,
including the Lucy Hopkins, one of the fleetest sloops that ever sailed that
stream. She was about one hundred tons burden. For the long period of
forty-eight years Captain Carrigan had command of different vessels, and
after the organization of the Republican party he was one of its stanch sup-
porters. His father was William Carrigan, also a native of Westchester
county and a cooper by trade. The Captain is now deceased, but his wife,
who was a native of Putnam county. New York, is still living; and of the
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 531
twelve children born to them, seven survive: William H., a resident of
Yonkers, New York; Elnora, wife of Charles Acley, of Croton; Marian, wife
of Edward Fillmore, of Sing Sing; Mary E. , wife of James D. Edwards, of
Sing Sing; James Edward, a steamboat pilot and a resident of New York
city; George E., our subject; and Clarissa D., wife of Joseph Poria, of
Yonkers.
George E. Carrigan was reared in Croton, New York, and was educated
in the public schools of that place. When his school days were over he
engaged in boating on the Hudson, and on attaining his majority was given
command of the schooner George A. Brandreth. Subsequently he was cap-
tain of another schooner and continued to follow the water for ten years.
He then accepted the positions of deputy sheriff and constable, which offices
he held for two years, discharging his official duties in a most commendable
manner. Prior to accepting his present position, however, he engaged in
the roofing business throughout the state for five years, making his head-
quarters first at Yonkers and later at Sing Sing. At the end of that time he
was appointed chief of police in the latter city, a position he has since
retained, discharging his various duties with promptness and fidelity. He is
emphatically a man of enterprise, positive character, indomitable energy,
strict integrity and liberal views, and is thoroughly interested in all that con-
serves the prosperity of his village and county.
In his political affiliations Mr. Carrigan is an ardent Republican, and
socially is a prominent member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
being identified with Sunnyside Lodge, No. 289, of which he is past grand,
and also with Columbian Encampment. He is also president of the Sunny-
side Association. In 1885 he was married, at Yonkers, to Miss Isabella
Bogart, a daughter of Addison and Mary Bogart, and to them have been born
two children: William H. and Florence B.
PURDY L. HITCHCOCK, M. D.
Dr. Purdy Leander Hitchcock is one of the best known and leading prac-
titioners in Westchester county. New York, where he has been engaged in
practice since 1882, having graduated the previous year at the College of
Physicians and Surgeons, of New York city.
Dr. Hitchcock was born in Westchester county. New York, September
23, 1850, and is a son of David Hitchcock, a native of Putnam county. New
York, descended from English ancestors who were among the early settlers
of this country. David Hitchcock is now seventy-seven years of age, strong
and robust. By trade he is a carpenter, and for a number of years he was
engaged in building.
532 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Purdy L. Hitchcock received a good education in the schools of his nat-
ive county and then commenced a course of study under the direction of Dr.
Charles Lee, of Purdy, by whom, perhaps,, more than any other individual
was his life shaped. After graduating, in 1881, he took up hospital practice
for a time and in 1882 settled in Croton Falls, where he has since remained.
Subsequent to his regular professional study he took a post-graduate course
at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is a member of the Alumni
Association of that institution. He has met with gratifying success and has
established a reputation as a skilled and careful practitioner. He is a member
of the Westchester County Medical Society, and fraternally is identified with
the Royal Arcanum. From 1889 to 1892 he was surgeon for the Croton
Magnetic Iron Mines.
November 29, 1884, the Doctor married Miss A. Butcher, a woman of
refinement and culture, daughter of John Butcher, deceased. Dr. and Mrs.
Hitchcock have one child, Grace A.
Dr. Hitchcock takes an active and commendable interest in all the
affairs of his town, and as an enterprising and public-spirifed citizen is appre-
ciated by his fellow citizens. He is a member of the board of education, is
health officer, and occupied several other positions of honor and trust. While
his life is a busy one, he yet finds time to enjoy the society of a large circle of
friends, extending and receiving numerous hospitalities.
JAMES GIBSON, Sr.
This citizen of White Plains, New York, has for a number of years been
closely identified with the interests of Westchester county. During his res-
idence here he has been prospered financially and ranks now not only as one
of the leading farmers of his locality but also as one of its capitalists. His
record is that of a self-made man, and briefly is as follows:
James Gibson, Sr. , was born in the city of Edinburg, Scotland, in the
year 181 3, was educated in the common schools of his native place, and
remained there until his twentieth year. He is next to the youngest of five
children, three sons and two daughters, composing his father's family, and
and is the only one of that number now living. James Gibson, his father,
was a carpenter and builder, following that business throughout his hfe. The
mother of our subject was before marriage Miss Margaret Wright. Both
passed their lives in Scotland.
In his youth the subject of our sketch learned the baker's trade, serving
an apprenticeship of four years, and shortly after completing his term of serv-
ice sailed for America, landing at New York city, May 22, 1834, in the Isabella
Irvine, after a long and tedious voyage, covering a period of ten weeks. In
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 583
New York he secured work at his trade, saved his earnings and was soon able
to start up an establishment of his own, which he did, and there he con-
ducted a successful business until 1858, wheh he sold out and came to White
Plains. Here he purchased a farm of seventy acres, located two miles and a
half southeast of the town, and on it has since carried on general farming, his
land being among the best cutivated and most desirable in the locality. From
time to time he has made valuable investments and is to-day the owner of
much valuable real estate. He built the Auditorium in White Plains, a
fine structure of brick and stone, the first floor used for stores, the second
occupied by the Young Men's Christian Association, and the opera-house.
Also he owns a good business block on the corner of Lexington and Railroad
avenues, which he rents.
Mr. Gibson is a man who has always kept himself posted on the topics
of the day, and thinks for himself. In national and state matters he gives
his support to the Republican party, but in local affairs he is somewhat inde-
pendent, voting for the man he believes best suited for the office rather than
adhering strictly to party lines.
From 1838 to 1858 Mr. Gibson was a member of the Scottish Presby-
terian church in New York city, and since coming to White Plains has been
identified with the First Presbyterian church of this place, to which his fam-
ily also belong and in which he has served for a number of years as a trus-
tee. He is the oldest trustee now serving in the First Presbyterian church
at White Plains. He is also school trustee of district No. 2, having held
that office since 1862, and he has also been road commissioner.
In 1838 he was united in marriage with Miss Ellen Jackson, who was a
companion contributing to the happiness of his life for almost forty-four
years, departing from the scenes of this world May 15, 1882. He has had
three sons and two daughters, namely: John, James, Jr., Mary Ann, Mar-
garet and Thomas. John died March 14, i8g6; James, Jr., is married and
a resident of New Rochelle. The daughters are unmarried and reside with
their father. Thomas is married and resides at the parental homestead.
JOHN W. TRUESDELL.
One of the leading business men and agriculturists of Westchestfer county
is John W. Truesdell, who has been a resident here for eight years only, but
who is well and favorably known throughout this section. He is the super-
intendent of the noted Greene estate, which comprises some seven hundred
acres of fine, arable farm land, — one of the best and most valuable home-
steads in the state. With wide experience and general ability, Mr. Truesdell
is just the man for the responsible position he so ably fills, and his efforts
534 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
have materially increased the value of the property and the revenue there-
from.
One of the native sons of the Empire state, the subject of this sketch
was born December 3, 1854, in Wyoming county, and passed his boy-
hood in that portion of New York. He is the son of E. G. and Lucy
(Popple) Truesdell, respected and honored citizens of Wyoming county.
After leaving the common schools J. W. Truesdell entered Warsaw Acad-
emy, and there pursued the study of the higher branches of knowledge.
When he attained his majority he left home and went to Orange county.
New York, where for many years he was successfully occupied in farming
and kindred pursuits. In 1890 he was engaged to act as manager or
superintendent of the Greene property in Westchester county, and he has
since devoted his energies to the cultivation and improvement of the place.
He has always given much attention to the raising of fine horses, and he
is now interested specially in this direction, as a ready market is to be
found for good animals in the neighboring cities.
In all his views and methods Mr. Truesdell is liberal and broad-minded,
being zealous in the support of all measures which accrue to the welfare of
the general public, and is active in local affairs as well. In his political
faith he is an earnest Republican, but he has never been an aspirant for
public position, as he finds that his time is fully occupied in properly
attending to his business affairs.
January 27, 1875, Mr. Truesdell married Miss Mary E. Mills, a daughter
of A. J. Mills, of Orange county, New York. The only child of Mr. and Mrs.
Truesdell is Charlotte M., now the wife of Robert Hoyt, of Katonah, West-
chester county.
OSCAR SMITH.
This prominent and representative citizen of New Castle township, West-
chester county, now. filling the office of assessor, was born in Yorktown town-
ship on the 1 2th of March, 183 1, and is a son of Samuel Smith, whose birth
occurred August 15, 1797, on the old homestead where our subject now re-
sides. The grandfather, William Smith, was a native of Holland, and mar-
ried a Miss Vredenburg. They settled in this country prior to the Revolu-
tionary war, and both died in York township at the ages of ninety and eighty-
six years, respectively. They were most estimable people, and were identified
with the Society of Friends. In their family were only two children:
Samuel, and Rebecca, wife of John Brown.
Samuel Smith grew to manhood in Yorktown township, throughout life
devoted his time and attention to agricultural pursuits, and was a stalwart
supporter of the Republican party. He married Miss Jemimah Young, a
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 535
daughter of James and (Baldwin) Young, and of the ten children born
of this union nine reached man and womanhood, and four are still living,
namely: Eliza, wife of B. Secoy; John B., a resident of Yorktown town-
ship; Oscar, our subject; and Eben, of Yorktown township. Those deceased
are: Phoebe J.; Willet R. ; William, and James, who died in Tompkins
county, New York, and was the father of two sons — William and Eugene —
who served in the Civil war.
Oscar Smith was reared on the home farm, and pursued his studies in
the neighboring schools. Going to Wisconsin in 1856, he taught school there
for one season, and on his return to Westchester county made his home for
two years in Bedford. In 1865 he located on the old homestead of his grand-
father, which is pleasantly located only a half-mile from the Millwood station,
and is supplied with water from one of the best springs in the county. Here
he has a nice home, and is surrounded by all that goes to make life worth the
living. In his farming operations he has met with excellent success, and is
to-day one of the well-to-do and substantial citizens of his community.
On the 8th of June, 1861, Mr. Smith married Miss Sarah J. Sherwood,
a daughter of Absalom and Harriet (Brown) Sherwood, of Bedford, in whose
family were six children, three still living: Frances, wife of William Barnes;
Sarah J. ; and Mary E., a music teacher of New York city. Those deceased
are Charles W. , George E. and William H. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have four
children, namely: Ella V., wife of Henry N. Merritt, of Yonkers, New York,
by whom she had two children, — Maud and Clarence; George E. , who mar-
ried Grace Brown, and is a floor-walker in Simpson & Crawford's store of New
York city; Irvin E. , who is employed by the Metropolitan Traction Company
in New York; and Minnie P., wife of H. E. Freeland, a railroad conductor,
by whom she had three children, — Helen M., Edna May and Grace.
During his business career Mr. Smith worked for his uncle, E. S. Young,
conducting a stage line in the city for a time, and also successfully followed
teaching. He has ever taken an active interest in educational affairs, and for
many years has efficiently served as a school trustee. He holds a member-
ship in the Friends church, while his wife is a Methodist. Both are earnest,
Christian people, and have the respect and esteem of the entire community
in which they make their home.
JUDGE THOMAS M. PARKER.
It is with pleasure that we come now to record in this volume a refer-
ence to the principal landmarks in the life of the gentleman whose name
forms the caption of this article, speaking' first of his ancestry.
His father, Edward Parker, was born in county Dublin, Ireland, where
536 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
he grew up and learned his trade as blacksmith. When he had attained the
age of twenty-two years he emigrated to the land of greater opportunity,
arriving at New York city, where he was employed at his trade as a journey-
man. In 1847 he came to Port Chester and continued at his trade for ten
years, when he purchased the shop now owned by his son. Judge Parker, and
plied his laborious vocation here as long as he lived, his death taking place
April 4, 1897, at the age of seventy-six years and six months. Politically he
was a Democrat, and in public office he was village trustee two terms and
for a time overseer of the poor. In religion he was a Catholic. For his
wife he married Miss Ellen Mulvaney, a native of Ireland, who was brought
to America when but two years of age; and she is still living, aged fifty-eight
years. She also is a communicant of the Catholic church. Of her sixteen
children nine are still living.
Judge Parker, of whom we more particularly write, was born May 27,
1864, in Port Chester, educated in the public and Catholic schools, and at
the age of seventeen years began to learn the blacksmith's trade of his father,
and he continued in that heavy work for fifteen years; and since that time
he has managed the shop that his father owned.
Politically, he is an active Democrat. He has served one term as village
treasurer, which office he resigned when he was appointed a justice of the
peace to fill an unexpired term, and after the expiration of that period he
was elected for a full term. He is a good man-for the place.
In matrimony he was united with Miss Maggie Stanley, of this place,
and they have two daughters, named Helen and Jane Elizabeth.
ABRAHAM A. COLES.
The family name of this gentleman has figured conspicuously on the
pages of the history of the Empire state through many generations, repre-
sentatives of the family taking an active part in many of the leading events
which form an integral part of the annals of New York. Patriotism, honor
and enterprise have ever been among their marked characteristics since the
time when Robert Coles, a native of England, crossed the Atlantic to estab-
lish a home in the New World. This was in 1641, and he cast his lot with
the early colonists of the land which gave promise of liberty and freedom of
conscience and the exercise of the independent rights of the individual.
He was accompanied on his journey by his two brothers, Nathan and Daniel,
and in 1677 the three secured a tract of seventeen hundred acres of land on
Long Island. This included all the portion of the island known as Glen
Cove, and thereon Robert Coles, who was the great-grandfather of our sub-
ject, made his home. There also occurred the birth of Jesse Coles, the
.e^^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 537
grandfather, whose natal day was in September, 1757. He was one of the
gallant heroes of the war of the Revolution, serving all through the seven
long years of that conflict. For three years he was on detached duty as a
spy under the command of Washington, and being taken prisoner was
incarcerated in the old " sugar-house prison," but was afterward paroled.
Later he was again captured by an English boat on the Long Island sound,
while carrying messages, but the papers were skillfully hidden under the lin-
ing of his coat between the shoulders, and were not found; so, there being no
proof against him, he was released. Had the papers been found he would
have been summarily shot. The gun which he carried, and which had been
given to his father by Richard Mott, is now in possession of our subject, as
is the old family clock. While a prisoner in the sugar-house the life of
Jesse Coles was saved by Anna Mott, a nurse, who warned him against eat-
ing some food that had been poisoned. When his loved country no longer
needed his services he returned to the peaceful pursuits of the farm, and on
the 25th of March, 1781, was married to Deborah Carpenter.
Their son, Joseph Coles, father of our subject, was born in Greenburg
township, Westchester county, December 27, 1790, and died July 2, 1872,
in the house now occupied by Abraham A. Coles. During his active busi-
ness career he followed agricultural pursuits and met with success in his
various business undertakings. Prior to the Civil war he was a Democrat,
but at that time he transferred his allegiance to the Republican party and
was afterward one of the stalwart advocates of its principles. He was also
a faithful member of the Reformed church, and his honorable life commanded
-uniform regard from his fellow men. He married Elizabeth Yerks, a daugh-
ter of William Yerks. She was born in Mount Pleasant, Westchester
county, February 25, 1801, and departed this life July 15, 1871.
Abraham A. Coles, whose name introduces this review, and who is now
a leading citizen of Tarrytown, was born in the town of Mount Pleasant,
Westchester county, October 7, 1827. He was reared in a manner usual
to farmer boys of that period and locality, and pursued his education in what
was then known as the " old red school-house." Between the ages of twelve
and twenty years he worked industriously upon the home farm and then
entered upon an independent business career. For a few years he operated
a farm of his own and. engaged in raising live stock to some extent, but since
the fall of 1865 he has not resided on the old homestead, which is situated
in Greenburg township, his home being now in Tarrytown. Disposing of
his farm he came to live with his parents, who had been residents of Tarry-
town for several years, caring for them until they were called from the
scene of earth's activities. Mr. Coles has since continued to live in the
■old Tarrytown home, devoting his time and energies to the management of
538 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
his various investments and valuable property interests. He is also one of
the trustees of the Westchester County Savings Bank.
In 1873 Mr. Coles married Julia A., daughter of Daniel D. and Julia S.
(Amerman) Foot, and a granddaughter of Isaac Amerman, who served as an
alderman in New York city for several years and was a prominent citizen of
the metropolis. Mrs. Coles is a native of that city, and by her marriage has
become the mother of four sons, namely: Edward A., Fred H., Charles
L. and Russell. Mr. Coles is identified with the church of his ancestors,
the Reformed, while his wife is a member of the Episcopal church. Widely
and favorably known in Tarrytown, the warm personal friendships which
they inspire secure them the hospitality of the best homes of the place.
Like his honored father, Mr. Coles gives his political support to the Repub-
lican party, but he has never aspired to official distinction, preferring to
devote his attention to his business interests, in the management of which
he displays marked ability and executive force, combined with keen discrimi-
nation.
AUGUSTUS M. HALSTED.
We are now permitted to touch briefly upon the life history of one who
has retained a persona] association with the business affairs of Westchester
county for many years, but is now living retired at Rye, and whose ancestral
line traces back to the colonial epoch in our country's history. His life has
been one of honest and earnest endeavor, and due success has not been
denied.
Records show that the Halsted family is of English origin, and that it
was founded on American soil about 1628 by representatives of the name from
Hemill-Hempstead, England. They settled in or near Boston, and the family
name appears in the log of the Mayflower. Subsequently they removed to
Providence Plantation, now Providence, Rhode Island, and at a later date
one of the family went to Long Island and, in connection with other early
colonists, founded the town of Hempstead. For several generations the
Halsted family has been connected with the history of Westchester county.
The parents of Ezekiel Halsted, the great-grandfather of our subject, were
the first to locate here, and his birth occurred in New Rochelle, November
29, 1738. At an early day he removed to Rye township and settled on the
old homestead, which is still in possession of the family and a part of which
will be inherited by our subject should he outlive the present life tenant.
Ezekiel Halsted was a large land-owner and extensive farmer, as well as one
of the most prominent and influential citizens of his community. He served
with distinction as captain in the Revolutionary war. His son, Philemon,
was also a captain in the state militia, and his discharge papers, granted by
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 539'
Governor Jay, of New York, are now in possession of Augustus M. Halsted.
He- was the first president of the Westchester County Agricultural Associa-
tion, and was an important factor in the promotion of many interests of public
concern.
The grandfather, Philemon Halsted, was born on the old homestead in
Rye township, and there spent his entire life as a successful farmer, owning
large tracts of land. He was also one of the leading citizens of the com-
munity, and for a great many years served as president of the Westchester
County Agricultural Society. He married Deborah Davenport, a daughter
of Lawrence Davenport, of New Rochelle, and to them were born two chil-
dren: James Davenport and Newberry Davenport, the latter a prominent
farmer. He took a very active part in public affairs and was acceptably
serving as a member of the state legislature at the time of his death.
James Davenport Halsted, the father of our subject, was born on the
old family homestead, October 20, 1809, and carried on agricultural pur-
suits in the township of Rye throughout his entire life. He was a recognized
leader of public thought, action and opinion and left the impress of his strong
individuality upon many measures of general interest. A stanch supporter of
the Democratic party, he efficiently served for many years as supervisor of
this township. Although not a member of Christ Episcopal church, he-
served as one of its vestrymen for a number of years and was held in the
highest regard by all who knew him. His death occurred January 25, 1865.
His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth S. Todd, was born July 2,
1 8 16, in Waterford, Saratoga county, New York, and died October 28, 1896.
She was a most estimable Jady, and during her entire residence in Rye was a
faithful member of the Protestant Episcopal church. Of their three children
Augustus M. is the eldest. James M. is a resident of Oakland, California;
and Elizabeth S. is the wife of H. C. Edgette, of Haddonfield, New Jersey.
Mr. Halsted, whose name introduces this review, was born in Rye
township, November 22, 1836, and his boyhood days were spent under the
parental roof. He had charge of the home farm from the time he was seven-
teen years of age until 1862, when he engaged in the produce and commis-
sion business, in New York city, carrying on operations along that line for
three years. During the following four or five years he was engaged in
newspaper work there, as associate editor of a stock paper, and on one of
the prominent evening dailies, reporting political meetings and the actions of
other large conventions and assemblages as his special department of the work.
He next engaged in the manufacture of specialties in sheet-metal goods, and
was the first in America to invent and make a self-regulating incubator. On
account of ill health he retired from business in 1895, and is now enjoying a
well earned rest, free from the cares and responsibilites of business life.
540 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Mr. Halsted married Miss Amanda M. Hayward, a daughter of Colonel
John R. Hayward, a prominent citizen of East Chester, New York, whose
farm comprised a greater part of the present city of Mount Vernon, and who
died at the age of sixty-seven years. The children born to this worthy couple
are as follows: Rev. Newberry O., an Episcopal minister, who is now super-
intendent of St. Johnland, Dr. Muhlenberg's home for aged men and orphan
children, at Kings Park, Long Island; Carrie L. , wife of G. Arthur Tuthill,
of Brooklyn, New York; James D., a contractor and builder, in Rye; J.
Henry, who is engaged in advertising specialties and patent business in New
York city; Jennie A., wife of William H. Porter, of the firm of William Por-
ter & Sons, New York; Florence, a talented artist in minature and figure
work; A. Elizabeth, at home; and Robert A., who is attending the Irving
Institute, at Tarrytown. The family is identified with the Episcopal church,
and in politics Mr. Halsted affiliates with the Democratic party. For eight-
een years he has been a member of the board of education, serving as its
president for fifteen years, but he has never cared for political honors, always
refusing to become a candidate for office. In manner he is pleasant, genial
and approachable, and all who know him esteem him highly for his genuine
worth.
WILLIAM MAISON du BOIS.
Mr. du Bois was born in the town of Ossining, Westchester county, New
York, and moved in 1871 to the town of White Plains, in the same county,
to the residence on Hamilton avenue where he has lived since that time.
He was admitted to the bar of New York state as attorney and counselor
at law in 1879, after having graduated at the Columbia Law School with the
degree of LL. B. . and has followed the practice of the law, his office being
located in White Plains. He was also admitted to the United States district
■court in 1879.
He is descended from many families whose names are to be found among
the earliest records of this country, some of his ancestors being of Huguenot
origin, to-wit: duBois, Le Fevre, Hasbrouck, Deyo (four of the patentees
of New Paltz, New York), Bianshan, du Ry, Le Maistre, Le Comte, Par-
mentier and Cresson; some of them being Holland Dutch, to-wit: van Bomell,
van Kleeck, van der Bogart, van Voorhoudt, van Schoonhoven, van der
Linden, van Dyck, Viele, Aertsen, ter Bos, Segers, Schouw, Frederickse,
Ten Broeck, Ten Eyck, Jorisen, Schermerhorn and Meyer; some of them
English, to-wit: Skinner, Manning, Way, Marshall, Broadhead and Hugh-
son; and some of them of various nationalities: for instance, Zabriskie
<Poland), Goetschius (Swiss), Vermilye (Italian), Hazard (Welsh).
Mr. du Bois is a Freemason and a member and officer of White Plains
OfyyuUiMeu
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 541
Lodge, No. 473, F. &. A. M., of the state of New York, and also a member
of the following (and other) societies, viz. : Society of Colonial Wars, Sons
of the Revolution, Military Order of the Loyal Legion, Saint Nicholas Society
of New York, Huguenot Society of America, Washington Continental Guard,
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, New York Historical
Society, Westchester County Historical Society and the Westchester County
Bar Association. '
He married, at White Plains, New York, first, Grace Bartram, who died
May 29, 1885, eldest daughter of Colonel Nelson B. Bartram; and secondly,
Mabel Bartram, the second daughter of Colonel Bartram. Colonel Bartram,
who died December 25, 1886, was of New England descent and commanded
during the war of the Rebelhon the regiment raised by the Union League
Club of New York city.
Mr. and Mrs. du Bois have one child, a daughter named Mabel.
A. WATSON NEUMAN.
A. Watson Neuman, of Nepera. Westchester county. New York, is one
of the representative and well-known men of this county. He was born
here February 24, 1848, and belongs to a family long resident in America.
His father, Alvah Neuman, was born in 181 3, son of John Neuman and
grandson of Joseph Neuman, a soldier in the Revolutionary war. John
Neuman married Hannah Benedict, daughter of Colonel Benedict, an officer
in the Revolutionary war. The subject of this sketch has the musket that
was used by his great-grandfather, Joseph Neuman, in the Revolutionary
war. It has the mark made by a saber cut in the hands of a British officer.
While in charge he warded off the blow with his gun and used the bayonet.
John Neuman had ten children: Joseph (i), Sarah, Rebecca, Elizabeth,
Holly, Alvah, Deborah, Joseph (2), Mary Jane and Patience. Alvah Neu-
man, the father of our subject, married Nancy See, daughter of James Peter
See and granddaughter of Peter See, a Revolutionary soldier. Thus it is
seen that A. Watson Neuman can in more ways than one trace his direct
descent from Revolutionary stock. Alvah Neuman and wife were the
parents of nine children, three of whom died in infancy. Those who
reached adult years are as follows: James A.; John Milton, of New York;
William A., also of New York; A. Watson, whose name introduces this
sketch; Abbie Amelia, wife of Bailey Kipp; and Loring, who died at the age
of twenty-five years. The mother died in 1883, at the age of sixty-seven
years, and the father died in 1891, at the age of seventy-eight. Some time
before his death he was thrown from a wagon and had a limb broken, and
from the effects of this injury he never recovered. He was a prosperous
542 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
farmer, religiously a member of the Reformed church, being an elder of the
same, and politically a Democrat. April 3, 1809. by Daniel D. Tompkins,
governor of New York, he was appointed an officer in the military regiment
of Westchester county.
A. Watson Neuman was reared on the old farmstead, and in 1879 he
married Miss Anna May Graham, daughter of Newman Graham, and, like
her husband, having Revolutionary blood in her veins. Her grandfather,
Dr. Isaac Graham, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and was a de-
scendant of the Scotch duke of Montrose. Newman Graham married
Anne Onderdonk, a daughter of Abraham Onderdonk, a native of New
York. Three children came to bless their union, — Ike Gilbert, of Tarry-
town; William Warren, of Sing Sing; and Anna May. Mr. and Mrs. Neu-
man have four children, — Anna Kate, Albert Milton, Howard Graham and
Laurinda.
Both Mr. Newman and his wife were reared in the faith of the Reformed
church and they, like their parents, are consistent members of the same, he
being an elder in the church. Politically, he is a Democrat, and has served
several terms as township collector.
GEORGE F. ODELL.
Since 1893 George F. Odell has been a resident of the town of Congers,
New York, while his place of business is in Yonkers. In both of these thriv-
ing little cities he is very well known and occupies a prominent place as a
citizen. As an active member of the Citizens' Land Improvement Associa-
tion of Congers he has forwarded the interests of the town, and is recognized
as one who is thoroughly patriotic, striving ever that the communities with
which his life is connected may be sent onward on the road to progress. He
was one of the leaders in the movement to organize the association above
mentioned at Congers, and has been the chairman of the same for three
years. Not waiting for others, he has initiated and brought about numerous
works of improvement there, and has ably seconded many enterprises which
have materially benefited the place.
For years an able and efficient worker in the Republican party, he
founded a club in Congers. At first it comprised but ten members, but the
zeal and energy of Mr. Odell on behalf of the party and the constantly grow-
ing population of the town have wonderfully aided the club, which now, at
the end of two years' existence, boasts of over one hundred members. The
•efforts of Mr. Odell have secured the opening of several new streets and the
paving of many; the proper organization of the town under an approved sys-
.tem of administration, regular departments, etc. No more fitting man
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 543
could have been found for the honor and position of postmaster there, and it
was an appointment which was hailed with pleasure by the majority of the
citizens of Congers, when, in 1898, he was chosen for the office. He has
frequently attended conventions of his_ party, and has often gone in the
capacity of a delegate.
A son of James B. Odell, and born during the civil war, George F.
Odell is in the prime of manhood. His birth-place was in Yonkers, and the
date of his advent on the stage of human existence February 20, 1863.
After he had completed a liberal education in the public schools of this place
he entered the Yale College Preparatory School here, his plan then being to
enter the medical profession later. This idea, however, he abandoned, and
for two years he engaged in the steam job printing business with William P.
Constable, of the firm of Odell & Constable. The six years following he
traveled representing the Van Derveer & Holmes Biscuit Company of New
York city, and in 1895 he opened a wholesale biscuit business on his own
account in Yonkers, and has since handled the wares of the National Biscuit
Company, dealing in the same in wholesale quantities. He has met with
the business success which he eminently deserves, and on account of his
health was compelled to retire from the business, so sold out to the National
Biscuit Company and now has located in Congers in the real-estate and
insurance-brokerage business, which is meeting with success. Fraternally,
he belongs to the Masonic order as a member of Rising Star Lodge, No. 450,
F. & A. M. Moreover, he is connected with John C. Shotts Camp, sons of
veterans; with the Knights of Honor, and the Lincoln Legion, a political and
social organization; also is an honorary member of the Congers fire depart-
ment. In his religious belief he is a Methodist, a member of the First
Methodist Episcopal church of Yonkers.
The marriage of Mr. Odell and Miss Emma K. Graham, of King's
Bridge, New York city, was solemnized April 22,. 1889. Two little daugh-
ters grace their union, namely: Helen Ruth and Wilhelmina Catherine.
DANIEL D. LEVINESS.
Daniel D. Leviness, a retired farmer of Scarsdale, Westchester county,
New York, is one the oldest and most highly respected citizens of the com-
munity, having passed the eightieth milestone on life's journey. He was born
October 30, 1817, and is a native of the town of Greenburg, as were his par-
ents. His father, Gershorn Leviness, was born in 1794, and was married to
Phoebe Tompkins, who was born in 1793. They were the parents of eight
children, as follows: Becca Ann, who married Edward LeFurgy; Phebe Jane,
-wife of Gilbert Lawrence; Mary Elizabeth, who became the wife of John
544 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
LeFurgy and after his death married Jasper Devoe; Frances Caroline, wife of
Andrew Olson; John Wesley, who married Hannah Taylor; Sarah Esther, wife
of Alexander Taylor; and Abigail Adelia, wife of David Quick. The Leviness
family originated in France, and the paternal grandfather of our subject was
Joseph Leviness, who married Elizabeth Sherwood. The maternal grand-
parents were Nathan and Effie Tompkins. Gershorn Leviness died July i6,
1882.
Daniel Leviness spent his boyhood days under the parental roof and
attended the district school of the neighborhood. When he was fourteen
years of age his father rented a farm and through the summer months he
assisted in its cultivation, while in the winter season he pursued his studies.
He was thus employed for two years, when he secured work as a farm hand.
He was employed in that capacity for four years, daring which time he gave
his wages to his father. The latter then purchased a farm and Daniel
Leviness worked for him until his death occurred, in 1882. Two years
before his demise he gave a part of the farm to our subject and said
that if it had not been for Daniel he would never have owned a farm.
Throughout his life Daniel D. Leviness has thus carried on agricultural pur-
suits. His diligent attention to his work insured him good crops, while his
profits were judiciously invested until he now rests secure in the knowledge
that he has sufficient means to enable him to spend his last days in comfort
and plenty.
In 1881 Mr. Leviness was united in marriage to Miss Alletta Olsen, who
died in 1892. He is a Republican in his political views, and has always
taken an active interest in state and county politics, but has not been an
aspirant for office. He is a firm believer in the gold standard and expressed,
his opinion by casting his vote William McKinley in 1896. He is an honored
member of the Reformed church of Greenburg, and although in his eighty-
second year is a remarkably bright gentleman who has retained the posses-
sion of all his faculties.
WILLIAM M. WILSON.
There is no denying the fact that austere virtue leads to the greatest
degree of happiness, and that in the case of the Wilson family it has also led.
to those great concomitants of happiness, — longevity, business ability and
success generally.
Mr. Wilson, who has now for the past fourteen or fifteen years been Et
retired resident of Mount Vernon, enjoying in the evening of life the happy
results of a life well spent, was born March 16, 1820, in Colchester county,
Nova Scotia, where his grandfather, William Wilson, was one of the first
settlers, after England had gained possession of the dominion from the
'9r^ ^^^^^r:^^^^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 54§
French. He was a farmer from Londonderry, Ireland, of Scotch-Irish
ancestry, and his adherence to Presbyterianism was of the most zealous
type, although in his manner he was quiet and unassuming. He married
Esther Reid and had seven sons and three daughters, — Samuel, William,
John, Henry, Frank, Robert, James, Hannah, Mary and Esther, — all of
whom lived to be nearly a hundred years old, their ages aggregating eight
hundred and seventy-six years! Their mother died at the age of one hundred
years.
The father of William M. was James Wilson, who was born in Nova
Scotia, was a farmer, owning a considerable amount of land, married Eliza-
beth Staples' and had thirteen children. All the sons engaged in agricultural
pursuits for their life's calling. He departed this life in the year 1888, at the
age of ninety-five years, in Nova Scotia. His children were: John, born
July 5, 1816; Rachel, June 25, 1818; William M., March 16, i820(oursub-
ject); Robert, November 20, 1822; Easter, February 3, 1824; Jane S.,
October 6, 1825; Matthew, September 17, 1827; Mary C, June 5, 1830;
Jervis, August 21, 1832; David, April 24, 1835; James, May 11, 1837;
Sidney, October 13, 1839; and Junius R., January 18, 1840. The youngest
died at the age of eleven years, but all the rest grew up to years of maturity.
Their mother died at the age of seventy-four years.
Mr. William M. Wilson, the subject proper of this record, received his
education in a private school, but being the eldest of the sons his work was
of such a nature that he could not attend regularly. He remained an inmate
of the parental home until he was twenty-one and a half years of age, when
he left for the great metropolis, New York, with only sixty cents in money!
There, among strangers, he was to seek his fortune and make his own way
in the world. Learning the trade of carpenter, in which he soon became
highly skilled, he followed that vocation for several years, when he began
taking contracts for building and also engaged in speculating, buyfng lots and
improving and selling them. Both in his contract work and his improvement
of lots for sale he was signally successful, maintaining meanwhile the highest
degree of credit and honor.
In 1884 he moved to Mount Vernon, which beautiful city has since
been liis place of residence, and here he has built a number of residences,
including his own, he being his own architect. He has led a very active and
busy life, but for the last fifteen years he has practically retired from the
heavy duties and responsibilities of business. As a diversion he keeps a
"spanking" team of trotters, his tastes leading him rather to out-door
recreation.
In his views of national policies he is a Republican; and in his religious.
convictions he has been a decided and zealous member of the Baptist church.
35
546 WESTCHESTER CQUNTY.
ever since he was nine years of age, showing religious indination even as
early as the age of six. His piety is deep, his religious principles definite,
positive and strong, and his church relations have ever been the most pleas-
ant. He was a trustee of the Baptist church on Forty-second street, in New
York city, and is now a trustee and deacon of the Mount Vernon Baptist
church.
June 1 8, 1848, he was united in matrimony with Miss Sarah Maria Ro£f,
and they have had five children, namely: Jane E., who died in childhood;
Eunice, deceased; WiUiam F., who was a carpenter and builder, but at
present is an inventor, residing in Mount Vernon; Ulysses S. Grant, a builder
in Tuckahoe, this county, where he resides; and Schuyler Colfa.x, who died
at the age of twenty-six years.
As a miscellaneous item we may mention that Mr. Wilson is related by
blood to the Harper and the Cutten families, of Massachusetts, and the
celebrated publishers of New York city, the Harper Brothers.
THOMAS FEARON.
In connection with the boat-building industry the name of Thomas
Fearon is known throughout the country, and in rowing circles it is no less
familiar, for his ability as an oarsman has gained him national fame. Almost
his entire life has been passed in southeastern New York, where by his own
unaided efforts he has risen from a humble position to one of prominence in
the business world, his successful career standing as an exemplification of the
possibilities that are open to young men of ambition, courage, enterprise and
energy in this fair land.
Born in New York city. May 15, 1842, he is a son of Daniel and Mary
(Strang) Fearon. His father was a native of Ireland, and on coming to
America located in New York city, where he spent his remaining days. The
mother died during tf;e early boyhood of her son, who was then reared by
strangers. He made his home with farmers in Westchester county, and
secured his education in the district schools, pursuing his studies through the
winter months, while in the summer he assisted in the cultivation of the
fields. He was also for a time in school No. 2 at Yonkers, and in the little
yellow school-house at Tuckahoe. In the spring of 1857 his employer, Mr.
Westfield, removed to Chicago, Illinois, where he secured a farm, upon which
Mr. Fearon worked until Mr. Westfield returned to the east. Our subject
then secured a position as ship carpenter and followed that trade until the
election of President Lincoln, when he was promoted to the position of drafts-
man in the navy yard at Brooklyn, where he remained until 1864.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 547
In that year Mr. Fearon came to Yonkers and purchased the boat-build-
ing business of John Ackerman, whose establishment was located on the pres-
ent site of the rubber factory* There he carried on operations until 1867,
when he established his present plant at the foot of Gold street. He has con-
ducted a successful business since that tinie and his reputation as a boat-
builder has extended throughout the entire country. He has been particularly
famous for his racing shell-boats, which are regarded as the best produced in
America. These are of the finest workmanship, and in their construction
the most care and exactness is required, so that they shall be absolutely per-
fect. He builds the boats in use by various colleges, and since the decline
of rowing as a sport he has made a specialty of steam launches and
other small craft. He has a large factory, one hundred and fifty by thirty-
three feet, supplied with all modern machinery and appliances necessary for
the production of the finest boats known to the trade. In his business Mr.
Fearon has met with most gratifying success, his sales having reached exten-
sive proportions, as his products have found favor with the public owing to
their excellence and superiority over many others that are produced. He has
invested considerable capital in real estate, and now has some valuable realty
holdings in Yonkers. His sound judgment in business matters, his thorough
understanding of the industry, his reliability and resolution in carrying out
his carefully formed plans, all insure him success, and at the same time have
won him the confidence and respect of all with whom he has had dealings.
Mr. Fearon 's skill as an oarsman has also gained him a national reputa-
tion, and he is particularly well known as the amateur champion single sculler
of America. He was prominent in the organization of the Vesper Rowing
Association of Yonkers, which was formed August 12, 1867, other charter
members being Thomas Franklin, R. C. Elliott, Benjamin Mason, William
McFarlane, James T. Howland, William Hull and George Watt. They
erected a club house at a cost of five thousand dollars, and the club became
very prominent by reason of the victories won by its noted crew, composed
of Thomas Fearon, bow; Owen Van Winkle, No. 2; William McFarlane,
No. 3; and John H. Keeler, stroke. This crew participated in many con-
tests with crews of the Hudson River Amateur Rowing Association, composed
of clubs on the Hudson between New York and Albany, and never met
defeat in a single race. They achieved a national reputation, and in all the
regattas, scull and barge races carried off the honors over skilled competitors.
The first notable race which they won was held at the Elysian Fields, Hobo-
ken, New Jersey, gaining two races in one day and carrying off the silver-
service medal. The first race was an eight-oared-barge race, and the second
was a four-oared-shell race, in which five crews Were entered'. One of the
most exciting races in which they participated was held at Bergen Point,
548 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
August 29, 1 87 1, their opponents being the Argonautas. Thousands of
people witnessed the race, the greatest excitement prevailed, and large wagers
were staked on the result. They made a mile and a half in seven minutes
and ten seconds. After that race the members of the crew were the undis-
puted amateur champions of the country. In 1876 they won a victory in a
regatta at Philadelphia, open .to all. In 1868 Mr. Fearon won the single-
scull championship medal from the Hudson River Amateur Rowing Associa-
tion, consisting of the flag and diamond medal. The flag had to be won for
three successive years in order to hold it, and accordingly he won it in 1869
and 1 870. This was a medal sought more than any other offered by the
association, and the association entered their best man, Edward Smith, a
nephew of the celebrated Josh Ward, who defeated the English champion.
Mr. Fearon defeated Smith in three miles single by one-eighth of a mile, up
to which time Smith had never met defeat. The race took place at Yonkers
in 1882. In 1874, at Saratoga, in the intercollegiate single-scull races, Mr.
Fearon's boats, which he had built himself, won all the races. Boat-racing
was then one of the most popular sports of the time, and these events were
frequently attended by twenty thousand people. Mr. Fearon, in all the
many contests in which he has taken part, has never been defeated but twice
— once by George Lee, a professional oarsman, now rowing in England, and
the second time by Kennedy, of Bob Cook's crew, who rowed at the Cen-
tennial, in Philadelphia, in 1876. He has won about sixty medals in racing,
and for many years hardly had an equal in the entire country.
In May, 1864, Mr. Fearon was married, the lady of his choice being
Miss Elizabeth H. Dingee, a daughter of Henry A. Dingee, of New York
city. He was a native of Yonkers, and spent his last days here. His father
was once the owner of Chicken island. Henry Dingee became the owner of
extensive real-estate holdings in Yonkers, much of which is still in possession
of his daughter, Mrs. Fearon. He was a very enterprising and successful
business man and amassed a comfortable fortune. He died in New York
city, at the age of sixty-eight years. To Mr. and Mrs. Fearon have been
born five children: Mary Dingee, wife of Edward T. Howard, a resident of
Yonkers; Jane A.; Henry, deceased; and two who died in infancy. The
Fearon household is noted for its bountiful hospitality, which is enjoyed by
the most prominent people of Yonkers. Mr. and Mrs. Fearon occupy a very
enviable position in cultured society circles, and have the warm regard of a
very extensive circle of friends. In Yonkers not to know the subject of this
review is to argue one's self unknown. In all his social and business rela-
tions he is popular, and in private life he has gained that warm personal-
regard which arises from kindness and geniality, deference for the opinions of
others and true nobility of character.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 549
HON. DAVID W. TRAVIS.
In the last half of the present century the lawyer has been a pre-eminent
factor in all affairs of private concern and national importance. He has been
depended upon to conserve the best and permanent interests of the whole
people and is a recognized power in all the avenues of life. He stands as the
protector of the rights and liberties of his fellow men and is the representa-
tive of a profession whose followers, if they would gain honor, fame and suc-
cess, must be men of merit and ability. Such a one is Mr. Travis, who was
admitted to the bar in October, 1847, and has since successfully engaged in
practice in Peekskill, New York.
He was born January 15, 1824, a son of David E. Travis, and grandson
of Elijah Travis. His parents were highly respected farming people, and
on the paternal side he is of English origin and on the maternal side of Ger-
man descent. He was reared and educated in Peekskill, graduating at the
Peekskill Military Academy. He married Miss Catherine M. Hunt, and, to
them was born a daughter, now the wife of William H. Craig, who is a mem-
ber of the health department of Peekskill.
In early life Mr. Travis was a Whig, but on the organization of the
Republican party he joined its ranks, and has followed its fortunes ever since.
In 1854 he was called upon to fill his first office, that of justice of the police
courts, but since then he has often been called into public life, and for three
terms, in 1867, 1879 and 1880, he most ably represented his district in the
state legislature. He has served on several commissions of appraisal in rela-
tion to the New York city water-works, and has always been found true and
faithful to every trust reposed in him, whether in public or private life. As
a lawyer he has won the admiration and confidence of all, for truth and right
are the only motives which sway him, and his career has been most progress-
ive and honorable. Many important trusts have been committed to his
care, and the confidence, reposed in him has never been betrayed. Socially
he is a member of the Masonic fraternity.
JAMES A. TUTTLE.
This gentleman is one of the highly respected citizens of Katonah, West-
chester county. New York, and belongs to that honored class of brave men
who rendered valiant service to the Union in the dark hour of its peril when
secession attempted to overthrow the republic that our forefathers had estab-
lished. Mr. Tuttle was born September 11, 1842, and is a son of Hiram
Tuttle, a native of Connecticut, born in 181 1. Hiram Tuttle was a shoema-
ker by trade, and when a young man he married Miss Julia Field, by whom
550 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
he had six children, three of whom are living,— Mary Marshall, of Bridge-
port, Connecticut; Emily, of Peekskill, New York; and James A., whose
name begins this review. Those who have passed away are Elizabeth, Addie
Garrison and Charles, the last named having been accidentally killed by
railroad cars.
James A. Tuttle was educated in the public schools of Westchester
county, and was still in his 'teens when the trouble between the north and
south precipitated the country into civil war. A spirit of patriotism, how-
ever, was at once awakened within him, and on the i ith of September, 1862,
he celebrated his twentieth birthday by enlisting as a member of Company F,
Second New York Cavalry. He was in the service for three years, valiantly
defending the old flag and the cause it represented. During the early part
of his army life he was stationed with his command along the Potomac. Later
on, during the Dahlgren raid in Virginia, he was taken prisoner and held as
such three months. His whole service was marked by that promptness and
fidelity which characterize the true soldier, and at the expiration of his term
he received an honorable discharge.
Returning home at the close of hostilities, Mr. Tuttle devoted his ener-
gies to slate-roofing, which business he still follows.
He was married December 6, 1871, to Miss Matilda Brown, a daughter
of Isaac G. and Catharine Brown, of Yorktown, and was one of a family of
six children, namely: Phoebe Jane, widow of A. Gray and a resident of Sing
Sing, New York; William Henry, also of Smg Sing; Lewis, a resident of
Tuckahoe, New York; Margaret Reynolds, who makes her home in Croton,
New York; Mrs. Tuttle, of Katonah; and Antoinette Taylor, of Newark,
New Jersey. Both Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church, of Katonah, and he belongs to McKeel Post, No. 120, G.
A. R. , of which he formerly served as commander, while at the present writ-
ing he is filling the office of adjutant.
CHARLES G. MARTIN.
The subject of this memoir was one of the honored citizens of Mount
Vernon, Westchester county, and had been identified with the industrial life
of the American metropolis for a long term of years, winning success through
his personal efforts and guiding his life according to the maximum principles
of honor and integrity. He attained a venerable age, passing away in the
fullness of years and honors. Endowed with the most sterling character,
energetic, independent and vigorous in his intellectuality, he won for himself
a place in connection with the valuable activities of life, and it is certainly
incumbent that in this compilation be included a brief sketch of his career.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 551
Mr. Martin was a native of New Jersey, having been born in the historic
old town of Perth Amboy, on the 26th of August, 18 14, the son of Ephraim
and Ehzabeth (Andrews) Martin. The father served in the war of 18 12, and
his death occurred about the year 1825. He left his widow with four small
children and with but a modest patrimony. Mrs. Martin was a native of
New Jersey, while the Martins were numbered among the pioneer families
of Westchester county, New York, whither they came from the state first
mentioned. Daniel' Martin, grandfather of the immediate subject of this
memoir, was a native of New Jersey, and his death occurred in 1790. He
married Mary Applegate, who was born in New Jersey, being a representa-
tive of an old English family. Isaac Andrews, grandfather of our subject on
the maternal side, was an active participant in the war of the Revolution, in
which he did valiant service for the cause of the colonies. He died about
the year 1828, and his wife survived him about three years.
Charles G. Martin passed his boyhood in his native town, Perth Amboy,
attending the district school until his fourteenth year, when he laid aside his
text-books and initiated his practical business career by learning the trade of
a locksmith, making combination locks for banks, being in the employ of Dr.
Solomon Andrews, of Perth Amboy. After completing a thorough appren-
ticeship at his trade Mr. Martin went to New York city, where he secured
a position with the firm of Day & Newell, manufacturers of locks, remain-
ing in their establishment for several years. Thereafter he went to Har-
per's Ferry, West Virginia, where he' was engaged in the manufacturing
of locks and keys for a period of eighteen months. At the expiration of
this time he joined a party of New Jersey men who made the voyage to
California on their own ship, sailing around Cape Horn and landing at San
Francisco, where Mr. Martin remained nearly two years.
Returning to New York city, he entered into a partnership relation
with Silas H. Herring, under the firm name of Herring & Martin, and they
engaged in the manufacture of safe locks on a quite extensive scale, grad-
ually building up an excellent business by reason of the superiority of their
products and the honorable methods according to which they conducted
operations. The association continued for a number of years, but the busi-
ness was finally placed in the hands of the firm of Mackerell & Richard-
son, with whose establishment Mr. Martin continued to be identified for
a period of ten years. In 1864 he again engaged in business on his own
responsibility, establishing foundry and finishing works, which he conducted
with marked success until 1877, when he turned the business over to his
son, Benajah M., who continued the industry on South Fifth avenue, New
York city.
Being well advanced in years, Mr. Martin retired from active business
552 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
pursuits, and in his attractive tiome at Mount Vernon, this county, was
enabled to enjoy the fruits of a long life of faithful toil and endeavor. He
was a man of the most unbending integrity in all the relations of life,
endowed with strong intellectuality, and was known and honored as a
valued citizen. In his political adherency he was stanchly allied with the
Republican party, taking not a little interest in local political matters, but never
seeking or holding official preferment. He lived to attain the venerable age
of eighty-four years and four months, his long and eminently useful life draw-
ing to its close on the 21st of December, 1898.
On the 1 2th of June, 1845, ^^- Martin was united in marriage to Miss
Catherine Hampton Molleson, of New Brunswick, New Jersey, and they
became the parents of two daughters and one son, namely: Benajah M.,
who succeeded his father in business; Mary Andrews, who is the widow of
Rev. Wellington White, a missionary for ten years in Canton, China; and
Anna Molleson, who is the wife of Rev. Henry F. McEwen, D. D., pastor
for eleven years (i 887-1 898) of the old Presbyterian church at the corner of
Second avenue and Fourteenth street. New York city. Mr. Martin was a
devoted member of the Presbyterian church, with which his widow is also
identified. Since the death of her honored hgsband she has made her home
with her daughter, Mrs. McEwen, at Amsterdam, New York. It is worthy
of note in the connection that John Hampton, a lineal ancestor of Mrs.
Martin, was taken prisoner by the British in the Revolutionary war, being
confined in the famous old sugar house in New York city for a period of
thirteen months. His death occurred in 1822.
JOHN B. BONNETT.
The subject of this sketch has been one of the prominent business men
of Hastings, Westchester county, for the last score of years. He is a native
of New York city, and a son gf James and Emily Barberie Bonnett. The
Bonnett family is of French ancestry, and records in possession of its mem-
bers prove that the first emigrant from the fatherland to these shores was
David Bonnett. He is the forefather of all those who to-day in America
bear -the name of Bonnett. David Bonnett was a silk-weaver in the village
of Thorigne, France. Two hundred years ago he was pursuing his daily
vocation, little thinking that his life was soon to be disturbed, and that the
rest of his days were to be spent in an environment far away from that in
which he then moved. But David Bonnett and his wife were Huguenots,
and this simple statement in itself is sufficient to account for any persecutions
which might have followed. The rules by which this sect governed their
lives were few and simple, but they adhered to them with all the tenacity of
'^^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 558
their natures. They beheved that the trust which they possessed was the
eternal trust of God; and wedded to that belief was the determination to
hold to the trust and to live it out in life, it mattered not though the bitter-
est persecution, yea, even death itself, should be the consequence. The
fact that they were held in disrepute by the people only strengthened their
faith.
But at this juncture organized hostility began against the Huguenots of
the village of Thorigne. Troops were sent to convert them at the point of
the sword. When the report of their approach reached the ears of Mon-
sieur Bonnett, he hastily decided to evade, if possible, the approaching doom
by flight. He had heard of a land across the sea where men could worship
God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and he trusted that
somehow a way might be open by which he might transport his family
thither. The task lying immediately at hand, however, was to escape from
the village. Loading a donkey cart with vegetables, as if going to market,
he and his wife hid their children in the midst of the load, cautioning them
to preserve strict silence, it mattered not what might happen. Mr. Bonnett
with a basket of turnips, walked, his wife following and driving the donkey.
Outside the village they met the troopers, who stopped them and made an
examination of their goods, and concluding that they were only market
people let them pass on. But in order to be sure that they were not escaping
Huguenots, and that no human beings were hidden in the cart, one of the
soldiers ran his sword through the very sacks in which the children were con-
cealed. The little ones, true to the command of the parents, let no outcry
escape them, but it was afterward found that their boy of five years had a
sword thrust through his thigh. He suffered the intense pain with perfect
silence, and when uncovered the brave child's first words were: " I did not
speak: did I, mother.'"
The family succeeded in working their way to America, and the boy
who saved his own life and the lives of his parents by his silence, grew into
manhood, and became the progenitor of the American line of the family.
The paternal grandparents of our subject were: Samuel and Elizabeth
Woolley, of Long Island. Their son, James Bonnett, Jr., father of our sub-
ject, was born in New Rochelle in 1816, and arriving at the age of manhood
became a merchant in New York city, moving later to New Rochelle, where
he continued the business for a number of years. He married Emily Bar-
berie, daughter of John Barberie, Esq., who also was of Huguenot descent,
his antecedents coming to America during the religious persecutions in France
and taking up their abodes in New York city in 1681. Mrs. Bonnett died in
i860, and was buried in Greenwood cemetery on Long Island, while Mr.
Bonnett was laid to rest in the cemetery at Upper New Rochelle. Two chil-
554 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
dren have survived them: John B., whose name begins this sketch, and
Ehzabeth A. , widow of Harvey Bryant, late of New Jersey.
John B. Bonnett spent the greater part of his youth in the village of New
Rochelle, and received such meager educational advantages as were then
afforded by the common schools. At an early age he left school and entered
the employ of George W. L. Underbill, a merchant in New Rochelle. Later
he connected himself with William S. Hunt, who was an extensive builder
in New York city. Subsequently he entered upon an independent business
career in the 'produce business on Ninth avenue, New York city, removing
thence to enlarged quarters at Tenth avenue and Thirtieth street, in which
latter place he continued until the year 1878. Then, disposing of his busi-
ness there, he moved to Hastings, where he started in a general merchandise
store. In connection with that he conducts a lumber, coal and wood yard,
and carries a full line of masons' materials. He has built up a large, profit-
able and constantly increasing business, and is one of the leading represent-
atives of commercial interest in the town.
In 1870 Mr. Bonnett married Miss Hannah Munson, daughter of the
late George Munson, Esq., of Hastings, a very prominent and highly respected
citizen. Four children have been born of this union: Hamilton Woolley,
George Munson, John Van Tuyl and Frederick Melville.
Mr. Bonnett is a member of the Dutch Reformed congregation of Hast-
ings, and contributes most liberally to its support. He has been closely
identified with the growth and prosperity of the village during these past
twenty years, and few projects are put forward looking toward the improve-
ment of the village, without securing his advice. He is at present a member
of the village board of health, and is treasurer of the board of education, hav-
ing served in both capacities for several consecutive terms. He is ever ready
to give moral and financial support to every movement which is calculated to
advance the interests of the place and its people. Mr. Bennett's exemplary
character, his business ability, unpretentious manner and genial disposition
have made him a great power in molding the life of the community, and have
won for him a host of friends, all of whom regard him with the deepest
respect and affection.
AMOS ACKERMAN.
Mr. Ackerman, who is one of the prominent and influential citizens of
Mount Pleasant township, was born near the place where he now lives,
November 18, 1823, and throughout life has been identified with the agri-
cultural interests of that section. He now owns and occupies what years
ago was known as the old homestead of Major William Van Tassell, an
officer of the war of 18 12 and later a prominent Democratic politician, who
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 555-
knew by sight every voter in the county. He was a gentleman of the old
school and a soldier of fortune.
James Ackerman, our subject's father, was of Holland descent, and
was born in this state, being a son of David and (Tillison) Ackerman,
both of whom died in the neighborhood of our subject's home. Here James
grew to manhood and learned the weaver's trade, at which he did a good
business for many years, but later in life devoted his attention to farming.
He married Catherine Van Tassell, daughter of Abraham Van Tassell, one
of the seven men who captured Major Andre. He was a large, muscular
man of great strength and endurance, and was Washington Irving's hero,
Brom Bones, in the Legends of Sleepy Hollow. He married Elizabeth Yerks,
the daughter of a large land-owner in Westchester county. In the family
of James and Catherine Ackerman were eight children, namely: Hiram;.
Berlin; Mrs. Eliza Requaw; Leonard; Elliott V.; Amos, our subject; Mrs.
Jane Requaw; and Mrs. Mary De Revere. Our subject is the only one now
living. The father was a strong Democrat in politics, an admirer of Andrew
Jackson, and was a member of the Dutch Reformed church. He died at
the age of seventy-four years, and his wife, who was a most estimable
woman and a member of the same church, departed this life at the age of
eighty-three.
Reared on the home farm, Amos Ackerman pursued his studies in the
district schools of the neighborhood, and at the age of seventeen began learn-
ing the blacksmith's trade with his brother Berlin, remaining with him for
four years, or until the brother's death, in 1844. He then took charge of
the shop and engaged in business on his own account at East View and later
at Switching's Corner, which half a century ago did an extensive business and
was headquarters for politicians, stockmen, drovers and others for miles
around.
In October, 1 846, Mr. Ackerman was united in marriage with Miss Eliza-
beth Bird, who was born, reared and educated in Mount Pleasant township,,
a daughter of John and Mary (Secor) Bird, and to whom was born one child,
— Mrs. Emma Hunter, of Pleasantville, this county, who has four children*,
Leonard, Kate, Leman and Amos. Mrs. Ackerman died in 1852, and subse-
quently our subject was again married, his second union being with Miss Mary
Angevine, a native of Mount Pleasant township, and a daughter of Goris and
Catherine Angevine. One daughter also blessed this union, Addie, now the
wife of Colonel Ellsworth Van Tassell, by whom she has two children: Mary
Leta and Ethel. The Colonel was born here in 1862, was reared and edu-
cated in this county, and is a son of Sylvester Van Tassell, and grandson of
Major Wiliam Van Tassell, previously mentioned. After a happy married
life of several years, Mrs. Ackerman was called to her final rest May i, 1890..
556 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
She was a loving wife and affectionate mother, and an earnest Christian
woman, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, at Pleasantville, to
which our subject also belongs. Politically he is identified with the Repub-
lican party and is a supporter of all measures calculated to advance the moral,
educational or material welfare of his town or county. He is recognized as
one of the most useful and valued citizens of his community and is very popu-
lar socially.
HON. JOHN Q. UNDERHILL.
If kindness and geniality count for aught in this world, if a life above
reproach, both in the discharge of public and private duties, is deserving of
commendation, then John Quincy Underbill has certainly merited the high
regard which is uniformly accorded him. In business he is the soul of honor
and integrity, and from a humble clerkship has worked his way upward until
he now has an important official connection with one of the leading insurance
■companies of the country. As a leader in Democratic circles he has also
won prestige and has been honored with high political preferment.
Mr. Underbill was born in New Rochelle, in 1848, and is a representa-
tive in the eighth generation of a family that is descended from Captain John
Underbill, who fought with Captain Mason against the Indians in New Eng-
land. He crossed the Atlantic in 1630 and about 1660 made a permanent
location on Long Island. His first wife was a sister of Governor Winthrop,
of the Massachusetts colony. Members of the Underbill family, descend-
ants of Captain John Underbill, removed from Long Island to Westchester
county, New York, establishing here what is now one of the oldest and most
honored families of the locality. Peter Underbill served his .country in the
war of 1 81 2 and rose to the rank of colonel. John Bonnett Underbill,
grandfather of our subject, was a native of Westchester county, where also
occurred the birth of George Washington Lafayette Underbill, father of him
whose name introduces this review. He married Julia Ann Barker, also a
native of Westchester county and a daughter of Isaac Barker. They are
still residents of New Rochelle, and for many years the father was actively
connected with the business interests of the city. In early life he was a
farmer but afterward engaged in merchandising, which he carried on until
his retirement from active business life.
In the district schools near his home John Q. Underbill acquired his
early education, and later attended the Free Academy, now the College of
New York City. In 1869 he entered the employ of the Westchester Fire
Insurance Company, in a clerical capacity, and has since retained his con-
nection with that corporation, steadily advancing step by step as he has
•demonstrated his mastery of the business and his ability to handle success-
MaJjMamJ^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 557:
fully its interests. In 1879 he was made secretary of the company, and in
1892 was elected both secretary and vice-president, but in that year resigned
the former position in order to assume the duties of treasurer in addition to
those of vice-president. Such is his present connection with the company
with which he has been associated for thirty years. Largely owing to his-
able and sagacious management, a most gratifying success has attended this
enterprise during his connection therewith, and the assets have increased
from two hundred thousand dollars to two million five hundred thousand
dollars during that period. Mr. Underbill is a man of keen discrimination
and unabating perseverance, and with a judgment rarely in error he formu-
lates his plans and carries them forward to a prosperous conclusion. In
connection with others, he aided in the organization of the New Rochelle
Bank, in 1887, and has since been a member of its directorate. He is a man
of unswerving loyalty to any interest entrusted to his care, and his honesty
in business matters is proverbial.
But it is not alone in the business world that Mr. Underbill is well,
known. He is regarded as one of the essential factors in the public life of
New Rochelle, was three times elected president of the village, and was a
member of the town board for a number of years. For ten years he had the
general management of the construction of the sewers of the village, and
introduced a system which adds much to the healthfulness of New Rochelle,
and is unsurpassed in any town of its size in the Empire state. While serv-
ing as trustee and having charge of the sewer system, more than a million
dollars of public money passed through his hands, every cent of which was-
faithfully accounted for. He drafted a bill, which was passed by both houses
of the lagislature, making New Rochelle a city, and though he met the most
stubborn opposition on the part of a number of citizens, he persevered in the
pursuit of this commendable purpose until his object was accomplished. He
is eminently popular, a fact which was shown in 1898, when he was elected
on the Democratic ticket to the fifty-sixth congress from the sixteenth con-
gressional district of New York by a plurality of sixty-three hundred and fifty,
over James Irving Burns, the Republican nominee. During the two preced-
ing terms the district had been represented by a Republican, and his
immediate predecessor, Wilham L. Ward, had been elected in 1896 by a
plurality of seventy-two hundred, a fact which shows that he increased the
Democratic vote about fourteen thousand. He was the only candidate on
the Democratic ticket elected in Westchester county, in the fall of 1898, and'
it will thus be seen that he wields a mighty influence in political affairs in the
county, and, indeed, throughout the entire congressional district.
In 1872 Mr. Underbill wedded Miss Minnie B. Price, of Sag Harbor,
Long Island, daughter of James H. Price. They now have a daughter, Anna.
558 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
B., an accomplished young lady and a graduate of the woman's law class of
the University Law School, of New York city. They have a pleasant home,
in the midst of attractive surroundings, and in social circles their position is
enviable. Mr. Underhill is a member of Huguenot Lodge, No. 46, F. & A.
M. His cordiality and general worth make him a favorite among his friends,
while his strong mentality and marked executive ability have gained him
leadership in business circles and in public life.
STEPHEN G. SEYMOUR.
No man in Westchester county is probably more worthy of representa-
tion in a work of this kind than he whose name stands at the head of this
sketch. He has been identified with its business interests for many years,
as a dealer in general merchandise, flour and feed at Lewisboro, has served
as postmaster at that place since first appointed by President Andrew John-
son, and for the long period of twenty-seven years has also filled the office
of justice of the peace.
Mr. Seymour was born in New Canaan, Connecticut, September 14,
1835, and on the paternal side is of English descent. His grandfather, Sam-
uel Seymour, was a farmer by occupation, and his father, Rufus S. Seymour,
was engaged in shoemaking and later was a farmer. The latter married Miss
Sally Keeler, the daughter of Thaddeus Keeler, who died in Potter county,
Pennsylvania, and both are now deceased, the father having died at the age
of seventy-six years. They were faithful members of the Methodist church,
and in his political views Mr. Seymour was a pronounced Democrat.
Stephen Seymour is indebted to the public schools for his edtication,
and when a young man he successfully engaged in teaching school for some
time. In i860 was celebrated his marriage to Miss Frances D. Lockwood,
who was born, reared and educated in this county, and is one of the four
children born to Rufus and Sally (Raymond) Lockwood, the others being
John, Samuel and Joseph W., of Lewisboro township. Mr. and Mrs. Sey-
mour have two children: Urban G., who married Miss Cora Crawford; and
Ada Frances, a resident of Lewisboro, but attended school in New Jersey.
The wife and mother is an earnest member of the Methodist church, and is
held in high esteem for her many excellencies of character.
For many years Mr. Seymour has been unwavering in his support of the
Democratic party and takes a lively interest iri political issues, on which he
is well informed. Over his life record there falls no shadow of wrong, his
public services has been most exemplary, and his private life has been marked
by the utmost fidelity to duty. He therefore merits and receives the respect
and confidence of the entire community.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 559
LEON E. PEELER, M. D.
Leon E. Peeler, M. D., a promiilent young physician and surgeon of
Harrison, Westchester county, was born January 7, 1871, in Sodus Center,
Wayne county. New York, and is a representative of a well-known family of
that part of the state. His parents being George U. and Augusta (Ireland)
Peeler, he is a descendant on the maternal side of Martha Biddle and
Lorenzo Ireland, his great-grandparents, Martha Biddle having been a sister
of the well-known Nicholas Biddle, who was president of the United States
Bank at Philadelphia until it was dissolved, during President Jackson's
administration.
The Doctor received his preliminary education at the high school at
Sodus, New York, and commenced the study of medicine in 1889, under the
direction of Dr. H. F. Seaman, one of the oldest practicing physicians of
Wayne county. In the autumn of 1892 he entered the medical department
of the University of the City of New York, where he was graduated in the
class of 1895 with honor, winning by competitive examination after gradua-
tion a position as interne to Bellevue Hospital. In July of the same year he
located at Harrison, where he soon succeeded in establishing a good practice,
which he still enjoys.
In September, 1896, Dr. Peeler married Miss Katherine Seaman, a
■daughter of Benjamin B. Seaman and a niece of our subject's former pre-
•ceptor. As a family they are actively identified with the interests of Har-
rison, and are regarded as prominent residents by the members of that grow-
ing town.
CHARLES H. ABBOTT.
For a score of years this sterling old citizen of Westchester county has
held the office of justice of the peace in Pound Ridge township. He comes
from one of the pioneer families of this locality, and was born on the old
homestead, which he now owns and carries on. On the paternal side he is
of English descent, as his name implies, and his ancestors were numbered
among the early settlers of Connecticut. His grandfather, Ebenezer Abbott,
was a native of the town of Wilton, Connecticut, and both he and his wife,
whose girlhood name was Molly Adams, lived for some years in Lewisboro
township, this county, and there passed to their last reward. Their son,
Moses A., the father of the subject of this review, was born in Wilton, Cpn-
necticut, in 1795, and died, when in his ninety-seventh year, in 1891. His
boyhood and youth were spent in this county, and for many years, when he
Avas in his prime, he was one of the most influential citizens of his home
neighborhood. He chose for his wife: Miss Phcebe Lynes, a native of Lewis-
560 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
boro township, a daughter of Holly Lynes, who was of French extraction.
She died at the age of seventy-four years, a faithful member of the Methodist
church, to which her husband also belonged. He was a Whig and Repub-
hcan in his political views, and enjoyed the high regard of all who knew him.
Charles H. Abbott, whose birth occurred June 3, 1839, is one of nine
children, five of whom are deceased, namely: William, Elizabeth, Ebenezer,
Ebenezer (the second) and Betsey J. Those of the family who survive are
Cordelia, widow of Thomas L. Downs, of Montour, Tama county, Iowa;
Emily, wife of Aaron Schofield, of Pound Ridge township; JuHa, wife of
Enoch Ambler, of Garwin, Tama county, Iowa; and Charles H.
In his youth Charles H. Abbott received an excellent education in the
common schools of this county, and by special study and " burning of the
midnight oil " prepared himself for the work of teaching. Having success-
fully passed the required examinations he was granted a teacher's certificate
and for the following decade gave his attention to educational work. Since
the expiration of that period he has devoted himself exclusively to agriculture
and has cultivated the old homestead of seventy acres. The place is well
improved with substantial buildings, a good orchard and fences, and is one
of the best in the township. The year 1864 Mr. Abbott spent in Tama county,
Iowa, where he had some idea of permanently locating, but he changed his
plans and ultimately returned to the place made dear to him by the associa-
tions of childhood. In 1893 he went on an extended visit to Tama county,
and, though for some reasons he believes it might have been better for him
to have remained in the west after the close of the civil war, he does not
regret his decision to live and die in the home of his father.
In 1883 Mr. Abbott married Miss Louisa Newman, a daughter of David
Newman, of Brooklyn, New York. Both Mr. and Mrs. Abbott are active mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church and take an intelligent interest in all
movements calculated to accrue to the lasting benefit of their fellow-citizens.
They give their earnest support to various benevolent and religious enter-
prises, and are always to be safely relied upon to use their influence and
means in the upholding of righteous law and good government. In his polit-
ical affiliations Mr. Abbott is a Republican.
FRANCIS D. BROWN.
This honored and highly esteemed citizen of North Salem township,
Westchester county, was born July 12, 1822, on the farm where he still con-
tinues to reside. His great-grandfather, Samuel Brown, was born in 1734,
in Stamford, England, and later emigrated to America, locating in Stamford,
Connecticut. In 1772 he came to Delancy township, now known as North,
T"n&Lfcwis FijJjlisiivn.g, Co.
J^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 561
Salem, in Westchester county. New York, where his death occurred, in
1815. His wife Susan, who was born March 28, 1737, Hved to the extreme
old age of one hundred and three years. Their children were Rebecca,
Mrs. Abby Palmer, Susanna, Nathan, Prudence, Samuel W. , Mrs. McGil-
lavry and Mrs. Lamb.
Nathan Brown, the grandfather of Francis D.,iwas born in Connecticut
February 20, 1767, and in early manhood married Miss Lobdell, by whom
he had four children, — Mary, Thomas (father of our subject), Abby and Ann.
For his second wife he married a Miss Allen, and they had one child, whom
they named Susan. Nathan Brown and both his wives died in this county.
Thomas Brown, our subject's father, was born and reared on the old
homestead where his son is now living, and throughout life engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits there. He was one of the leading and prominent citizens
of his community, was a soldier in the war of 1812, an active member of
the Methodist Episcopal church, and died June 24, 1857, a-t the age of sixty-
three years. In early life he married Miss Sally Williams, of Bedford, a
daughter of James and Polly Williams, who were related to the Lounsberrys
of this county. Mrs. Brown departed this life November 4, 1891, at the
age of ninety-eight years. She was a devout Christian, kind and charitable
at all times; and it is safe to say that she did more work in the Methodist
Episcopal church than any other woman of the congregation to which she
belonged. In her family were one son (our subject) and four daughters, all
residents of North Salem township, the daughters being: Susan, the wife of
Clark Lobdell; Mary, widow of Hiram Reynolds; Chloe, the widow of
Charles Bloomer; and Clarissa, the wife of Martin Todd.
On the home farm Mr. Brown early became familiar with every depart-
ment of farm work, and he is recognized as one of the most thorough and
skillful agriculturists of his community. His literary education was obtained
in the public schools and the old Salem Academy. At the age of twenty-
seven he married Miss Almira P. Frost, of the same town, a daughter of
Stedwell and Eliza (Fowler) Frost, both of whom died in that township.
Mrs. Brown departed this life in 1865, leaving two children: Elbert D., and
Mary E. , now the wife of James Colwell, of New York city, by whom she
had one son, — Francis, deceased, and a daughter, Mary F. Elbert D. grew
to manhood upon the home farm and February 20, 1878, married Miss
Frances I. Stevens, of Delaware county. New York, a daughter of James W.
and Catherine (Christie) Stevens. They have had four children, two of
whom, Almira C. and Francis D., Jr., are living. Our subject was again
married in 1868, his second union being with Miss Jane E. Landrine, of
Tarrytown, this county. She died November 25, 1892, leaving no children.
In his political predilections Mr. Brown has always been a Democrat,
36
562 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
and for the long period of twenty-four years he most efficiently served his fel-
low citizens in the capacity of road commissioner. He has always taken a
most active part in church and Sunday-school work, as a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, being for half a century superintendent of the
Sunday-school, and he is therefore well known throughout the country in this
part of New York state for his efficiency in that line. Although seventy-six
years of age he is still well preserved, for nature deals kindly with the man
who abuses not her laws, and he has an extensive circle of friends and
acquaintances who esteem him highly for his genuine worth.
HENRY F. PATCH, M. D.
The genial gentleman whose name adorns this page. Dr. Henry F.
Patch, of Chappaqua, New York, is one of the best known physicians and
surgeons of Westchester county, where he has been engaged in practice for
a period of twenty- four years, he having located here in 1874.
Dr. Patch was born December 7, 1839, in Francestown, New Hamp-
shire, a son of William and Sallie (Stevans) Patch, representatives of families
that were counted among the early settlers of New England. Dr. Patch's
education, begun in the public schools, was carried forward at Francestown
Academy and completed at Dartmouth Medical College, Hanover, New Hamp-
shire, where he graduated with the class of 1866. In that year he opened
an office in Harlin, and in 1874 became identified with Chappaqua, where he
soon built up and has retained a large and lucrative practice.
The year of his location in New York, Dr. Patch was united in marriage
to Miss Leonora Bull, a native of New York city, and their home circle in-
cludes four children, — Florence E., Lillie L. , Daisy M. and Harry F. Their
charming abode is a historic place, it being the old Greeley homestead, where
Horace Greeley produced one of his best works.
In social and fraternal cirtles the Doctor has a wide popularity. He is
a member of several medical societies, among, them the Westchester Medical
Society; also he is a member of Greeley Lodge, I. O. O. F. , of Chappaqua,
of which he is the secretary.
ROBERT T. EMMET.
The name of Emmet is one which has been long and conspicuously
identified with the history of the Empire state, and is one in which each suc-
cessive generation has produced men of honor and sterling worth, — men who
have honored and been honored by the state which gave them birth and
which has figured as the field of their respective endeavors in connection with
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. £63
the material activities which have ever conserved the progress and prosperity
of the Union. From the Emerald Isle came the first American ancestor,
Addis Emmet, who crossed the Atlantic about 1804, locating in New York
city. He soon won prestige as a prominent lawyer and was elected attorney
general of the state. His son, Robert Emmet, grandfather of our subject,
was born in Dublin, Ireland, and came to the United States during his child-
hood. Entering the legal profession,, he was called to the important office of
corporation counsel of the city of New York, and also filled the position of
judge of the common-pleas court. His death occurred in New Rochelle, in
1873. Several representatives of the family have gained marked distinction
at the bar, their eminent ability reflecting credit upon the profession with
which they were allied.
William J. Emmet, father of our subject, was born in New York city,
where he acquired his education and was reared to manhood. Entering upon
his business career, he was for a number of years successfully engaged in the
sugar-refining business in the metropolis. He married Julia C. Pierson, and
they are now honored residents of New Rochelle. Mrs. Emmet is a native
of Ramapo, Rockland county, New York, and her grandfather, Josiah Pier-
son, was the founder of the East Ramapo Iron & Foundry Works. He was
there extensively engaged in the manufacture of iron and at the same time
operated an extensive factory.
Robert T. Emmet was born in New York city in 1854. He studied in a
private boarding school, after which he entered West Point Military Academy,
on the Hudson, pursuing the four-years course of that institution. He was
graduated in 1877, and continuing in the military service of his country as a
member of the Ninth Regiment of United States Regular Cavalry, he went to
the frontier to aid in the suppression of the Indians, who frequently menaced
the property and lives of the pioneers on the western borders. He served in
that cavalry command for fourteen years and for four years was on the staff
of General Pope, after which, with his regiment, he was stationed at Fort
Niobrara, Nebraska.
Resigning his commission in 1891, Mr. Emmet returned to New Rochelle,
New York, where he has since resided, giving his attention to civil engineer-
ing. On the breaking out of the war with Spain, he volunteered and was
commissioned major in the First Infantry New York Volunteers, and served
for some months in the Hawaiian islands with that regiment. In 1883 Mr.
Emmet was married to Miss Helena V. C. Phelps, only daughter of Henry
D. and Kate Phelps. Her father belongs to one of the oldest and most
honored families of Westchester county, and has long been a valued resident
of New Rochelle. Mr. and Mrs. Emmet have three children, two sons and
a daughter, — Robert M., Herman L. R. and Anita H. Mr. Emmet belongs
564 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
to the University Club, of New York city, and the New York Yacht Club-
While campaigning in the west he acquired a fund of interesting and oft-
times amusing reminiscences, which enrich his conversation and, together
with his genial disposition, unfailing courtesy and uniform kindness, render
him a social favorite.
CHARLES G. BANKS.
Charles G. Banks is ex-register of Westchester county, ex-president of
New Rochelle, having held the office for three terms in succession, and
ex-police justice and corporation counsel of New. Rochelle, New York. An
enumeration of riiose men of the present generation who have won honor
and public recognition for themselves, and at the same time have honored
the state to which they belong, would be incomplete were there failure to
make prominent reference to the one whose name initiates this paragraph.
He holds distinctive precedence as a safe and careful lawyer, and has been
and is pre-eminently a man of affairs, wielding a wide influence. A strong
mentality, an invincible courage and a most determined individuality, have sO'
entered into his make-up as to render him a natural leader of men and a
director of opinion. For twenty years he has been an important figure in
legal and commercial circles in New Rochelle, and is a representative of one
of the old families of the county.
In Middle Patten, in the town of North Castle, Westchester county,
Charles G. Banks, was born May 26, 1847, his parents being Captain James
P. and Thurza A. (Palmer) Banks. His paternal grandparents were James
and Sarah (Lane) Banks, and his maternal grandparents were Allen and
Sarah (Smith) Palmer. In his father's family were four children, his brother
being William L. Banks, of White Plains, and his sisters are Clarissa A.
Banks and Mrs. Lizetta P. Hegeman, of Brooklyn, New York. For several
generations the representatives of the Banks and Palmer families had been
industrious and respected farming people of the town of North Castle and
the central part of Westchester county.
When seventeen years of age, Charles G. Banks left the farm, his father
having died some twelve years before, to make his own way in the world, and
in 1865 accepted the position of clerk in the LeRoy Place Hotel, at New
Rochelle, under his uncle, George W. Banks. He was afterward made
manager, and then became proprietor of this once well-known summer resort,
which was destroyed by fire some years ago. Although he met with success
in this undertaking, he did not find it altogether to his taste, and in 1872
he began the study of law in the office of Charles H. Roosevelt, of New
Rochelle, New York. In 1873 he entered the New York University, ani
was graduated in the law department of that institution in the class of 1875.
m^tA
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 565
He was admitted to the bar, at a special term of the supreme court in Pough-
keepsie, the same year, and in July, 1875, became the senior member of the
well-known law firm of Banks & Keogh, his partner being Judge Martin J.
Keogh, of the second department.
A short time before his graduation Mr. Banks was elected upon the
Republican ticket to the office of police justice of New Rochelle for a term
of four years, and was subsequently chosen corporation counsel of that city,
which office he acceptably filled for several years. In 1877 he became the
Republican nominee for registrar of Westchester county, against Stephen S.
Marshall, the Democratic nominee, and, after a very active and hotly con-
tested campaign, was elected by a majority of seventeen hundred and sev-
enty-seven, although the county went Democratic by over a thousand major-
ity. This was certainly a high tribute to his personal popularity, and was
an indication of the confidence reposed in him by his fellow-townsmen and
friends throughout the county. He was again a candidate, in the fall of
1880, but was defeated, by a few votes, with the remainder of the ticket.
For a period of six successive years (three terms) he was president of New
Rochelle, his first opponent being the late James W. Todd; his second, Hon.
John Q. Underbill, and third, Charles H. Roosevelt, and his administration
of the public affairs was most progressive, business-like and commendable.
His fidelity in the discharge of every duty devolving upon him in connection
with public office is above question, and his service has ever materially
advanced the interests of the community he represents. For ten years he
was an active member of the fire department, and within that period was
both foreman and assistant foreman of his company.
Mr. Banks' operations in real estate have been extensive and profitable.
He owns much valuable property in New Rochelle and elsewhere in West-
chester county and has erected many buildings in the city, including the
United States post-office building, a three-story brick structure, one hundred
and ten feet long, at the corner of Huguenot and Bridge streets. New Ro-
chelle. It is in this building that his law offices are located. In his practice
he has steadily risen to an eminent position at the Westchester county bar,
and he has a large and lucrative clientage. He has largely mastered the
science of jurisprudence, and prides himself on a thorough preparation of
every case committed to his care, which enables him to meet fairly any con-
tingency that may arise, and his opponent often finds great difficulty in over-
throwing his masterful logic. Mr. Banks is a member of the State Bar Asso-
ciation, the Westchester County Bar Association, the Republican Club, the
Board of Trade of New Rochelle, and the Exempt Firemen's Association.
Mr. Banks married Miss Fannie E. Morgan, only daughter of Charles
V. and Susan M. (Badeau) Morgan, of the town of East Chester. For the
566 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
past ten years Mr. and Mrs. Banks have spent the winters in sunny Florida,
where he has ample opportunity to indulge his taste for tarpon fishing. He
finds another source of recreation in driving, and is a lover of a good horse.
He has owned fully a dozen with a record of 2:20 or better, and his stables
are never without some valuable specimens of the noble steed. He is also
the owner and proprietor of Fashion Stock Farm, which is credited in the
horse world with choice specimens of equine stock. His life is practically
that of a self-made man. Through his own efforts he has risen to a position
of professional prominence and commercial leadership, and at the same time
has gained the highest regard of an ever broadening circle of acquaintances
and friends. Mr. Banks enjoyed the friendship and confidence of the late
Hon. William H. Robertson, General James W. Husted and Judge Silas
D. Gifford, all of whom were elected to office upon the Republican ticket
with him upon one occasion.
Among the important criminal cases that Mr. Banks was connected with
early in practice, and successfully helped to defend, was that of Richard
Hanna, indicted and tried for his life, for the murder of Thomas White, a
hotel-keeper, at New Rochelle, and also the case of Frederick Eveson (col-
ored), indicted and tried for his life for the murder of a white girl in the out-
skirts of Ne\^ Rochelle. Eveson, like Hanna, was acquitted. Another
case was that of Levison, the jeweler, indicted for grand larceny, charged
with extracting a three-hundred-dollar diamond from a ring belonging to a
Miss Emmet, and substituting an imitation in its place. The defence was
an ingenious one and the jeweler was acquitted.
Among some of the important civil cases that Mr. Banks has been con-
nected with in the past might be mentioned the action of the receiver of the
New Rochelle Savings Bank versus William R. Humphrey, secretary; George
J. Penfield, president; Thomas L. Disbrow, treasurer; and George Wilson
and others, trustees. This action was brought to recover upward of twenty
thousand dollars, embezzled by the secretary, Humphrey. Mr. Banks
appeared for trustee Wilson in the case, but really in fact was in the interest
of the president, Mr. Penfield, and the treasurer, Mr. Disbrow. Through a
clever arrangement of Mr. Wilson's counsel, his client paid a nominal sum
for a general release, which also released the joint wrong-doers, Messrs.
Penfield and Disbrow. Another important case was that relating to the pro-
bate of the will of the late James Morgan. Mr. Banks had drawn the will,
which related to real and personal estate of the value of one hundred thousand
dollars or more. The probate of the same was contested from the surro-
gate's court to the court of appeals, but was sustained in every court.
Mr. Banks is and has been executor and trustee of many large estates,
among which might be mentioned that of' the late Hon. Albert Badeau and
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 567
Henry L. Dean; he is also counsel for many large estates and has the hand-
ling of large amounts of trust funds and securities. It is estimated that dur-
ing the past fifteen years more than five millions of dollars have been per-
sonally invested by him for his clients, in county bonds and mortgages.
Mr. Banks politically is a Republican, but has many warm Democratic
friends and supporters, as is evidenced by the fact that in the dozen times or
more that he has been a candidate upon the Republican ticket he has always
succeeded in getting a handsome majority in the city and town in w.hich he
resides. Mr. Banks is a hard worker, does his own thinking and is noted for
his staying qualities.
WILLIAM VAN DUZER LAWRENCE.
The well known founder of Lawrence Park, Bronxville, New York, is
the subject of this sketch. He purchased about one hundred acres of the
old Prescott estate, ten years ago, and transformed it into one of the most
beautiful and attractive suburban parks near New York city. The grounds
are well fitted by nature for the purpose for which they are now used, being
considered the highest and most picturesque point of land in all this section
of the country. The park is a natural forest of great trees and has been
laid out in irregular lots, with roads winding in and out instead of being on
regular lines and blocks as is usually the plan in laying out suburban resi-
dence districts. These lots are sold under certain restrictions, and they
have been taken largely by the artistic and literary class of citizens, and
Lawrence Park has become quite celebrated for its colony of noted people
who have purchased cottages- there.
In 1897 Mr. Lawrence erected the Gramatan Inn on the top of Sunset
hill near the Bronxville station. It contains one hundred and twenty-five
rooms, has wide porches and verandas, making it a most beautiful place in
summer and winter for visitors and guests. It is a fine Colonial structure,
with all modern improvements, including electric lights and bells, and
steam heat, and from its verandas one has a fine view, extending from the
Hudson river to the Sound. In the winter these porches are inclosed with
glass, forming sun parlors, and the Inn is open all the year round. One of
its most desirable features is its close proximity to the city, being only a
twenty-six minutes' run on the New York & Harlem Railroad from the Grand
Central station, Forty-second street, New York, so that the busy man, who
is obliged to remain in the city during the day, can here find cool, bracing
country air, where he can enjoy the society of his family and friends in the
evening. In the construction of the hotel no convenience has been omitted
that would add to the happiness and comfort of the guests.
Mr. Lawrence is a native of New York city, where he was reared and
568 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
educated, is a cultured and pleasant gentleman and thorough business man.
He has not developed Lawrence Park as a money-making scheme, as is
usually the case in suburban park affairs, but his methods have been quite
original and new, and therefore successful.
NORMAN SECOR, Jr.
Ad historic old family of Westchester county is the one of v/hich the sub-
ject of this sketch is a worthy scion. The Secors were among the French
Huguenots who, fleeing from the persecutions with which they were beset in
their own loved country, came to the hospitable shores of the New World,
where they might have " freedom to worship God " according to the dictates
of their hearts. This little band of refugees landed at New Rochelle, West-
chester county, in 1681, and here they founded homes and became a thriving,
prosperous little colony, respected by all with whom they had dealings.
The great-grandfather of our subject belonged to this brave band, and
his son Thomas, the next in the line of descent, was born on a farm in the vicinity
of East Chester, this county, where he spent his entire life. His son Nor-
man, the father of our subject, was born in the town of East Chester, Sep-
tember 9, 1818, and after having spent a long, useful life as a tiller of the
soil is now enjoying a justly earned rest from labor. He has passed the
eightieth milestone on life's journey, and for one of his years has remarkably
good health. In his early manhood he chose for his wife Mary Ann Purtell,
whose birth occurred in New Rochelle, in 1830, her parents being James and
Anna Purtell, of that locality. Mrs. Mary Secor is also living.
Norman Secor, Jr., was born in the town of Greenburg, Westchester
county, January 4, 1852, and from his earliest recollection has been occupied
in the varied duties of farm life. Under his father's tutelage he acquired
practical knowledge of agriculture, and in the schools of the neighborhood
he received a liberal business education. Later he was a student in the
Ardsley school for a few months, and by private study and reading he became
the well informed man that he is to-day. Having given his father his assist-
ance until he reached his majority the young man then embarked in business
on his own account, and from that time until the present has carried on a
farm, keeping from eighteen to twenty cows for dairy purposes, and in addi-
tion to this he handles annually about five thousand tons of ice. His good
business methods and industry have wrought out success for him, and he is
now well-to-do and prosperous. He owns considerable property, and from
time to time has made profitable investments.
It is in his happy home circle that Mr. Secor finds his chief pleasure in
life, and there, surrounded by his family, the cares of the busy world seem
^e^^^^^^^^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 569
far away. It was in 1872 that he was united in wedlock with Mary Ann
Lander, eldest daughter of Henry S. and Ann (Williams) Lander. Her
father, a native of England, is engaged in farming and is also interested in
the manufacture and sale of a fertilizer. Like her husband, Mrs. Secor was
born in the town of Greenburg, and from childhood they were friends and
companions. Four sons and three daughters blessed their home, namely:
Henry R., Alice M., Harriet W. , Mabel B., Arthur W., Ethie J. and Jerome.
Henry is married and has three sons, Thomas M., Russell H. and Thornton,
and they have nine grand and great-grandparents living ! Alice, the eldest
daughter, is the wife of Fred H. Wille, of Ardsley, New York, and they have
one son, Kenneth R. , who has eight grand and great -grandparents Hving.
The family is one noted for longevity.
Though he is a stalwart Republican and never neglects his duty as a
voter, Mr. Secor has steadfastly refrained from entering politics, refusing to
accept public office. His time is given to his family, his friends and his
business, and in all life's relations he is accorded and justly merits the high
regard of his many friends.
JAMES A. GRENZEBACH.
Westchester county has been the home and scene of labor of many men
who have not only led lives that should serve as an example to those who
come after them but have also been of important service to their town and
county through various avenues of usefulness. Among them must be named
James A. Grenzebach, who died of heart failure September 2, 1892, after a
Hfe of industry, and one which was rich in those rare possessions which only
a high character can give.
He was born in New York city, in 1837, and spent his boyhood in Pel-
ham, Westchester county, receiving a good public-school and academic edu-
cation. His father was a farmer and a worthy citizen of his community.
Our subject began his business career as a clerk for Harper Brothers, of New
York city, and in 1867 became a member of the firm of Maxjield & Company,
dealers in and importers of fruit, doing business at the corner of Washington
and Fulton streets. New York. That partnership was dissolved in 1876 and
he came to New Rochelle, Westchester county, where the firm of Grenze-
bach & Carpenter was formed, our subject having purchased the interest of
Charles Hoffmeister in the lumber and coal business. The firm soon won
an enviable reputation and were wonderfully successful. The January before
his death Mr. Grenzebach practically retired from the company, though he
was still retained as a special partner, and the name was changed to Car-
penter, Todd & Company
570 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
He married Miss Annie E. Carpenter, a sister of his partner, Robert P.
Carpenter, and they became the parents of four children, one son and three
daughters, who yet survive him. All are unmarried with the exception of
Mrs. Harry H. Todd.
Mr. Grenzebach was one of the first members of the Enterprise Hook
and Ladder Company; also belonged to the Yacht Club and the Maenerchor;
and was an honorary member of the Rowing Club. In politics he was an
ardent Democrat, and he was often called upon to fill public positions of
honor and trust, being trustee of the village in 1879, 1880, 1881, 1883, 1884,
1888 and 1889. He was also village treasurer in 1889 and again in 1892,
being unanimously elected in the spring of the latter year. For fourteen
consecutive years he was a member of the board of education, and spent
much time and energy as a member of the committee on buildings and
grounds. He was always willing to lend a helping hand to any good cause,
or to sympathize with and aid those in distress. Although quick to resent
an injury, he was always willing to forgive, and was deeply attached to his
home and family. The large attendance at his funeral testified to the esteem
in which he was held by the entire community, and his remains were laid to
rest with honor in the Woodlawn cemetery. Generous and sympathetic, he
made friends easily, and he justly deserved the high regard in which he was
uniformly held.
JAMES W. TODD.
The late James W. Todd was for many years one of the most prominent
and influential citizens of New Rochelle, New York, always taking a leading
and active part in public affairs, and in his death the community realized
that it had lost one of its most useful and valuable citizens. He was born
December 6, 1837, and began his business career as a boy in the employ of
Berrian & Company, then the leading dealers in house furnishings in New
York city, and he remained with the firm some years, advancing step by step
until he became manager. After his marriage he embarked in the jewelry
business with his_ father-in-law, George W. Piatt, at the corner of Maiden
Lane and Liberty Place, New York city, and for many years he successfully
engaged in that business, giving it up on account of ill health. Thinking that
country air would benefit him, he came to New Rochelle and opened an office
as a real-estate and insurance agent. However, he continued to visit the
city every other day to attend to an optical business which he had estab-
lished, and in which he retained an interest as long as his health and strength
would permit. His death occurred August 4, 1893, and his remains were
laid to rest in Woodlawn cemetery.
Being a public-spirited and progressive man, Mr. Todd wielded a wide
WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
influence in the village, and his record is a monument of good citizensl
For twenty-three years he was one of the most efficient and untjring worl
on the board of education, during most of that time serving as either
president or secretary, and both positions he filled with marked abil
though he received no compensation for his valuable services. For four ye
he was also secretary of the sewer commission and took a deep interest
pride in its work. In 1875 ^-^d 1876 he was the efficient and popular pr
dent of the village of New Rochelle.
Mr. Todd was a hard worker and successful business man, and for sc
time was one of the directors of the Bank of New Rochelle. On his remc
to that place he purchased a beautiful site on Long Island Sound, and th
erected a most comfortable home, where he continued to live until cal
from this life. After his health began to fail he made frequent trips
Florida, where he and several of his New Rochelle friends had invested
orange plantations. He was a prominent member of Huguenot Lodge, F
A. M. ; Huguenot Council, Royal Arcanum, and formerly was an honored :
active member of the Enterprise Truck Company. He was a noted mai
man, and often carried away the first prize at contests, including those h
at Wimbleton and Creedmoor. During his busy and useful career he ne
neglected the holier duties of life, but was an active an influential membei
the Salem Baptist church, at New Rochelle, and served as its treasurer,
was a man of whom it may truly be said that the world was better for
having lived.
Mr. Todd married Miss Mary N. Piatt, and at his death left a widow £
five sons: William, the eldest, is engaged in the real-estate business in W
San Francisco, California; Walter Herbert is an assayer; Harry H. is tre
urer of the New Rochelle Coal & Lumber Company; George is a c
engineer ; and Irving is a clerk in the Bank of New Rochelle.
REV. JOHN A. KELLNER.
The rector of St. Gabriel's Catholic church, of New Rochelle, the R
John A. Kellner, was born in New York and acquired his preliminary edu
tion in the parochical schools, after which he attended St. Francis Xa\
College, of his native city, in which institution he was graduated in 1875. AJ
acting as assistant for several years in the parishes of St. Nicholas, Secc
street, and St. Joseph, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street,*he was selec
by Archbishop Corrigan to form the chancel choir and take charge of
musical part of the services of St. Patrick's Cathederal. There he labo
for six years, with remarkable success, and at the close of that period he \
selected to take charge of St. Gabriel's church, whither he came in 1893.
572 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
has since lived and labored in New Rochelle, and his efforts have been most
effective. When he assumed charge there was a membership of three hun-
dred families, representing a parish of two thousand souls.
The beautiful church edifice and rectory were the gift of the Iselin fam-
ily, and occupy one of the most desirable sites in New Rochelle. The church
is constructed in the Roman-Norman style of blue granite and is one hundred
feet long, eighty feet wide and seventy feet high. A square Norman tower
containing a clock and peal of bells rises many feet above the highest point
•of the roof, which is covered by beautiful dark red Venetian tiles. The
work of the church in its various departments is in a flourishing condition.
There is a prosperous Sunday-school, also an excellent parochial school, in
charge of the sisters, and it was through the instrumentality of Father
Kellner that the Adrian Iselin gymnasium was donated to the sisters school.
It is a beautiful brick structure, appropriately equipped in keeping with the
purpose for which it was designed. A handsome residence, also the gift of
Mrs. Iselin, has recently been erected for the sisters of charity.
Father Kellner not only organized his own parish and made it an excel-
lent working one, but also extended his field of labors in 1896 by erecting and
equipping St. Catherine's church, of Pelham, making it one of the most
beautiful little churches outside the metropolis. He is a man of scholarly
attainments, of broard, general information, as well as versed extensively in
church lore, and is regarded as one of the most respected and beloved priests
in the archdiocese of New York. He gives his labors untiringely to the
advancement of the cause of the church, and his efforts have been followed
by excellent results.
CHARLES FRYER.
One of Westchester county's most distinguished and honored citizens,
and an author of considerable prominence, is Charles Pryer, who resided
upon the old Pryer homestead in the town of New Rochelle, where he was
born in 1851. His father, John Pryer, was born in the city of New York, in
1802, and after completing his education in the schools of the metropolis, he
began his business career there as a merchant. In 1839 he removed, with
his family, to the town of Mamaroneck, Westchester county, where he pur-
chased one hundred and fifty acres of land, but soon afterward disposed of
that property. His death occurred April 18, 1875, and his wife, who sur-
vived him.for some years, departed this life June 9, 1887, at the age of seven-
ty-five. They were the parents of five children who reached years of matur-
ity, but George is now deceased, and William E. died September 24, 1888,
in New Rochelle, where he successfully engaged in the practice of medicine
■irom 1867 up to the time of his death, having a large practice; John T.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 578
resides in New York city; Adeline C. makes tier home in New Rochelle; and
Ciiarles completes the family.
On both the paternal and maternal sides our subject is descended from
most distinguished ancestry. Jasper Pryer, the founder of the family in
America, was a Norman Knight and a descendant of Sir Thomas Pryer,
guardian of Prince Edward, known as the Black Prince. It was in 1692 that
Jasper Pryer came to the New World and located in New York city, where
he removed his family. One of his sons later became a resident of Bergen
county, New Jersey. Our subject's great-grandfather was Thomas Pryer,,
and his grandfather was Captain Thomas Pryer, who made his home in New
York city during life and was in the United States Navy for a number of
years. Mrs. Pryer, our subject's mother, was in her maidenhood Miss Eliza
Matilda Chardovoyne de Crevecoeur, and was the daughter of William St.
John Chardovoyne, who was a son of Eli Chardovoyne de Crevceoeur and
was America's first minister from France.
Charles Pryer was principally reared upon the farm, and at a private
school in New York city he prepared for college, and passed a college course-
under private tutors. He has since given his attention mainly to the opera-
tion of the farm and to his literary work, contributing to different magazines
many able articles, which have received most favorable notice. He is also
the author of a work entitled Reminiscences of an Old Homestead, Legends
of Westchester county. New York; the Booklet for historic New York, en-
titled National Ground; and a history of American yachting, which appeared
in the Sporting Encyclopedia. His works have all been most favorably com-
mented upon by the press and literary critics of the day.
On the 17th of June, 1880, Mr. Pryer was united in marriage with Miss
Julia C. Miller, a daughter of A. B. Miller, of New Rochelle, but she died in
October, 1884, leaving one son, Harold C. He was again married in 1888,
his second union being with Miss Mary E. Harmer, daughter of John H.
Harmer, and to them has been born a daughter, Alice de Crevecoeur.
In politics Mr. Pryer is conservative. He is a leader in social circles,
taking quite an active and prominent part in a number of societies and clubs.
He is a director of the Knickerbocker Press, in which he has filled the office.
of secretary; was commodore of the New Rochelle Yacht Club, and of the
Corinthian fleet for three terms; is a member of the Century Club, of New
York city; the Atlantic Yacht Club; Larchmont Yacht Club; New York Yacht
Club; the Wood Club; and the New York Historical Society; and is also a
fellow of the American Geographical Society; the American Numismatic and
Archaeological Society; and the Botanical Garden and Zoological Society, of
New York city. He has a fine private library and one of the most extensive
collections of foreign coins in the state. He is a man of marked ability^,
574 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
forceful character and distinctive culture, — one who will leave his impress
upon the world, — and the community is certainly fortunate that numbers him
among its citizens.
GEORGE T. DAVIS.
The village of New Rochelle, in which Mr. Davis now resides, is also
the place of his nativity. He was born December 12, 1843, and traces his
ancestry back to an old and prominent family of New England that was
founded in America in 1665 by ancestors who came from Wales and located
in Derby, Connecticut. His great-grandfather, Colonel John Davis, was
born in Oxford, Connecticut, and was colonel of the Connecticut militia.
The grandfather, Truman Davis, was born in Oxford, New Haven county,
Connecticut, in 1787, and was a carpenter by trade, but in his later life he
turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He loyally served his country
in the war of 1812, and died in his eighty-second year. His wife was Mary
Allen, of Woodbury, New Haven county.
Captain Clark Davis, the father of our subject, was born in the town of
Naugatuck, New Haven county, Connecticut, in 18 15. Having attained his
majority he wedded Mary Ann Toffey, a native of the town of New Rochelle,
Westchester county. She died in 1880, leaving four children: George T. ;
Mary Esther, wife of Homer Riggs, of New Rochelle; Anna Eliza, wife of
Albert Cornell; and Francis H., superintendent of the New Rochelle Water
Company. Captain Davis was for a time engaged in shipping interests,
owning and running a sloop between New Rochelle and New York city, but
the major part of his hfe was spent on his farm. He was one of the pro-
gressive men of the county, and was importuned to accept office, but always
refused except in a few cases of local preferment. He died in October,
1898.
The boyhood days of George T. Davis were passed in his native town
and there he acquired his literary education. He entered upon his life career
as a farmer. In 1862 he enlisted in the Twenty- second New York Militia,
Colonel Monroe commanding, and was sent to Baltimore, Maryland, later to
Harper's Ferry. In 1863 he took part in the Gettysburg campaign, being in
action at Hampton or Sporting Hill and Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
After receiving an honorable discharge Mr. Davis returned to the farm.
In 1864 he entered an undertaking establishment and became thoroughly
acquainted with the business in its various departments. He assisted his
father in an undertaking business until 1871, when he opened his present
establishment, and has since worked up a very large trade, having a splen-
didly equipped establishment, fine horses and excellent teams. His store is
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 575
located on Huguenot street, and his reliability and honorable dealing have
secured to him a good patronage.
In 1869 Mr. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Henrietta Palmer, of
New Rochelle, daughter of John Palmer, and they are now parents of three
children, — two sons and a daughter: George M., who is associated with his
father in business; and Harry F. and Edith M., at home. The family occu-
pies a leading position in social circles and the members of the household
enjoy the hospitality of the best homes of New Rochelle, where intelligence
and true worth are taken as the passports into good society.
In his political views Mr. Davis is an earnest Republican and always
keeps well informed on the issues of the day. His fellow townsmen, appre-
ciating his worth and ability, have called him to public office and he has
served as trustee of the village one term and village clerk for five years. He
is a member of Huguenot Lodge, F. & A. M., and Flandreau Post, No. 509,
G. A. R., Old Guard of New York city. In 1898 he made strenuous efforts
to enlist in the military service of this country against Spain, but his advanced
age prevented his acceptance as a private, and radical changes in military
tactics since the civil war prevented his taking a command. He started to
raise a company, but the government refused to accept raw recruits. He
always takes an active interest in all things pertaining to military affairs. He
is treasurer of the New Rochelle Building & Loan Association and is a man
of pronounced business ability who carries forward to successful completion
whatever he undertakes. For twenty-seven years he has been connected
with the fire department of New Rochelle, and probably has done more than
any other one man in perfecting the fire-alarm system. He was for a time fore-
man of the Hook & Ladder Company and of the Huguenot Engine Company,
and for one year was chief engineer of the department. He is a public-spir-
ited and progressive citizen who gives a loyal support to all measures for the
public good. His life is one co'mmanding the highest regard, for his fidelity
to duty and honesty in business and his faithfulness to his friends have .won
him unqualified confidence and good will.
M. FOLEY.
The proprietor of the Pocantico Hills Hotel, of Pocantico Hills, New
York, is a prominent hotel man of Westchester county, having been in busi-
ness at his present place since 1891. The house is a well arranged hotel
containing sixteen rooms, and is situated in the midst of a beautiful lawn
covered with shade and ornamental trees and shrubs and flowers, making a
very picturesque scene. It stands opposite the depot, has a good bar, and
has become headquarters for politicians, commercial travelers, tourists and
576 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
others stopping at Pocantico Hills on business or pleasure bent. The land-
lord, Mr. Foley, is a man in the prime of life, of pleasing personality, frank,
genial and accommodating in manner, is well informed on subjects of general
interest, and the guest or traveler that tarries at his fireside is loath to leave
the place. He has had many years' experience in the hotel business, and it
is therefore not surprising that he is so successfully conducting his present
house.
Like many of the hotel men of New York, Mr. Foley is a native of the
Emerald Isle, born in 1848, of worthy parents, and there he was reared and
educated until fifteen years of age, when he came to America, stopping first
in New York city. From there he came to Tarrytown, Westchester county,
and later was engaged in the hotel business in Yonkers, this state, and in
1 89 1 came to Pocantico Hills. He was married at Yonkers to Miss Honora
McCarthy, who has been a true helpmeet to him, and nine children bless
their union: Hannah, Katty, Joseph, Mary, Jennie, Nellie, John, Tillie and
Honora.
Mr. Foley exercises considerable influence in political affairs and takes
an active interest in the same, but votes independently, supporting the man
whom he believes best qualified to fill the office, regardless of party affilia-
tions. For himself he cares nothing for the honors or emoluments of public
office, preferring to give his entire time and attention to his business interests.
WILLIS S. PAINE.
Willis S. Paine was born in Rochester, New York, on the ist of Janu-
ary, 1848. His father, Nicholas E. Paine, was born in the state of New
Hampshire, and after attending Phillips Exeter Academy was admitted to the-
bar upon attaining his majority. Shortly afterward he removed to the state
of Maine, and was appointed a member of the staff of Governor Fairchild,
with the rank of colonel. He married, at South Berwick, Maine, Abby M.
Sprague, who was a descendant of the ante-colonial Governors, Bradford and
Prance, of Massachusetts Bay. His brother, Robert Treat Paine, was for
many years one of the shining lights of the Boston bar. After marriage
Colonel Paine removed to the city of Rochester, New York, where he was
elected district attorney of Monroe county. He subsequently held the offices
of mayor and president of the board of education of that city. Twenty-five
years ago Colonel Paine bought the McKeel farm and a part of the Underbill
farm at Yorktown and laid out a town site, which with the advent of the rail-
road became the locality now known as Yorktown Heights.
In 1885 Nicholas E. Paine and his wife Abby celebrated their golden
wedding in true New England style, surrounded by their children, relatives
CXaa^OL/
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 577
of the family and cherished friends. In 1887 he departed this life, holding
at the time of his death the presidency of the Dakota Railroad Company.
He left a daughter, Mrs. Wallace Darrow, and two sons. The elder son was
Oakman S. Paine, M. D., who served through the civil war with conspicuous
gallantry and fidelity and was brevetted lieutenant-colonel and colonel for
meritorious services. At the time of his death, November 8, 1891, he was
the surgeon in chief of St. Elizabeth's Hospital in the city of New York.
A biography of Mr. Darrow and children appears on the following pages.
The younger son, Willis S. Paine, entered the Rochester Collegiate
Institute in the year 1862. When he graduated at this institution he was
chosen valedictorian of his class. He continued his studies at the Rochester
University, graduating with honor in the class of 1868. Before receiving his
college diploma he became a law student in the office of Sanford E. Church,
afterward chief judge of the court of appeals. In 1868 his father removed
to New York city, and our young law student continued his studies in the
the offices of the late Charles A. Rapallo, also one of the judges of the court
of appeals. In the spring of 1869 Mr. Paine was admitted to the bar, and
for some time practiced his profession in the office of Judge Rapallo.
But another and very important field was soon to be opened to Mr.
Paine, into which he was well qualified to enter and where he has won his
highest laurels. In 1874, when the legislature passed a law authorizing the
bank superintendent to cause an annual examination to be made of the trust
companies of the state, Mr. Paine was appointed by the superintendent as
one of the three examiners. It was a work in which from the first he took
the deepest interest and showed the most careful and thorough research.
The examination soon resulted in the closing of three trust companies in the
city of New York, which owed depositors six million dollars. These deposi-
tors were subsequently paid in full, and the public press praised Mr. Paine
for the successful accomplishment of this result. He also made the exami-
nations of the same corporations the succeeding year.
In 1876 the doors of the Bond Street Savings Bank, one of the largest
institutions of the kind in this country, were closed by order of the court.
Mr. Paine's success as a lawyer and bank examiner was such that on the
recommendation of the attorney-general and the bank superintendent he was
appointed by Judge Landon, at Schenectady, as receiver of the insolvent
concern.
Upon assuming the duties of the trust he began an investigation of the
transactions of the bank from its beginning, and then decided to bring suits
against the trustees for losses incurred for certain acts which, while not made
with wrongful intent, were unauthorized by law. These suits were novel in
their character and were stoutly defended, but the result justified his theory,.
37
578 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
inasmuch as the trustees paid him in settlement the sum of one hundred and
thirteen thousand, five hundred dollars. The court recognized the services of
Mr. Paine in that long and tedious warfare, in which so many nice legal points
were involved, by stating " that the duties of this trust have been administered
■by the receiver with rare diligence, fidelity and discretion. " At the time of the
'failure of the bank a meeting of the depositors was held, and a committee
of their number was appointed to look after their interests. Before the pay-
ment of the final dividend this committee met and passed a series of exceed-
ingly laudatory resolutions referring to the manner in which the receivership
had been conducted, and had the same engrossed and presented to Mr. Paine.
So far as known this is the only instance of the kind in the history of these
insolvent institutions — oftentimes quite the opposite feeling existing on the
■part of the creditors of such institutions toward the receivers.
Mr. Paine succeeded at the close of his receivership in paying the gen-
>eral creditors eighty-six and five-eighths per cent., while the preferred cred-
iitors were paid in full. The whole sum received and disbursed in the
"Winding up of the affairs of the bank was nearly thirteen hundred thousand
dollars. No other receivership of the twenty-three savings banks that failed
in New York city and vicinity during 1873 and subsequent years paid so
large a percentage: several paid less than twenty per cent. Upon his peti-
tion his accounts were examined by referees or by attorney-general deputies
«ight times, and each time the report presented to the court was of an
encomiastic character, and in the order of closing the receivership Mr. Paine
received " the thanks of the court for the faithful manner in which the duties
of the trust have been discharged. "
In 1880 the legislature passed an act providing for the appointment of
commissioners to make a compilation and revision of the laws of the state
••affecting banks and banking. William Dowd, the president of the Bank of
North America, and Mr. Paine, having been appointed by Governor Cornell
under this act, submitted a revision to the legislature in 1882, which was
then adopted. The legislature of the following year gave a vote of thanks
to Messrs. Paine and Dowd for their services. This was the first vote of
thanks given by that body since the civil war. Both of the commissioners
served without the slightest pay, and expended less than one-half of the sum
appropriated by the legislature for their expenses; the balance now remains
to their credit in the state treasury.
Governor Cleveland, in April, 1883, nominated Mr. Paine as superin-
tendent of the banking department of this state. The nomination was unani-
mously and immediately confirmed by the senate. No office of its kind in
the United States has more varied responsibility than that of the position of
hank superintendent of the state of New York. The comptroller of the cur-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 579
rency has the supervision of banks of deposit and discount only, while the
former has, in addition to these, savings institutions, trust, mortgage and
safe deposit companies, building and accumulating fund associations, the total
resources of which aggregate over a thousand millions of dollars.
In the discharge of the duties pertaining to the office of superintendent
of the banking department, Mr. Paine displayed a most creditable executive
ability. His clear conception of what should constitute the practical work-
ings of a correct system in the management of banks and other state moneyed
institutions, and his skill and persistence in enforcing these rules and regu-
lations caused his name to become a high authority through the country in
this department.
As a writer Mr. Paine has contributed much useful information, tending
to elucidate his favorite studies and investigations. His large work on
" Banks, Banking and Trust Companies," the preparation of which was a
difficult task, involving very arduous labor, is written in a masterly style —
lucid in arrangement and thoroughly exhaustive of its subject — and is recog-
nized as the standard work in New York financial institutions of every char-
acter. It has been commended by the press in high terms, especially the
action of the author in doing the work without the smallest pecuniary com-
pensation, directly or indirectly. The propriety of this action, in view of
the fact that he was, when the book was published, at the head of the bank-
ing department of the state, while manifest, indicates nevertheless a delicacy
not always found in public officials. The New York Times, in reviewing the
book, says that "it covers the ground so completely as to be a hbrary of
reference. Everything bearing on the subjects treated, however remotely,
is incorporated, and the banker needs no other work of reference to acquaint
him with the requirements, the obligations, and the legal limitations of his
business. The historical portion of the work is well worthy of study, show-
ing, as it does, the reasons drawn from experience for the conduct of banking
and other moneyed institutions. In making this compilation of the laws,
and in explaining the causes that procured their enactment, Mr. Paine has
subserved a good purpose. His work has been carefully and conscientiously
done, and it cannot but be of great service. " A fourth edition of this work
has been issued by Baker, Voorhis & Company. A treatise on the law regu-
lating building associations has also been written by Mr. Paine, and is pub-
lished by L. K. Strouse & Company.
Mr. Paine has also written largely for legal and financial magazines, and
all his literary efforts bear the mark of a scholarly hand.
In April, 1885, President Cleveland offered Mr. Paine the position of
sub-treasurer in the city of New York. This officer is the custodian of over
one hundred and eighty millions of dollars, and the action of the president
580 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
may be regarded as an unusually high compliment. In June, 1896, at its-
annual commencement, Manhattan College conferred upon him the degree
of Doctor of Laws.
On the sth of April, 1888, Mr. Paine married Miss Ruby S. Tilden, the
daughter of the late Henry A. Tilden, of New Lebanon Springs, and a
niece of ex-Governor Samuel J. Tilden. She departed this life December
20, 1896.
He was an early member oi the Bar Association of the city of New
York, and has served upon some of its most prominent committees. He
was largely instrumental in having the legislature, in connection with the
transfers of titles to real estate in the city of New York, adopt the " block
system;'/ and the general law providing for the incorporation and regulation
of trust companies is wholly his work. He is also a member of the Tuxedo,
Commonwealth, Metropolitan, the National Arts and Phi Beta Kappa Clubs
of New York, and is the president of the Theta Delta Chi Graduate Asso-
ciation.
During the month of November, of the year 1889, Mr. Paine resigned
the bank superintendency, having held the office nearly twice as long as any
of his predecessors, to accept the position of president of the State Trust
Company, a corporation which had been organized with a capital of one
million dollars and with a surplus of five hundred thousand dollars. This
corporation has been remarkably successful.
In the month of May, 1892, he resigned the presidency of the State
Trust Company for the purpose of taking a trip around the world. He sailed
during that month for Europe, and remained abroad about a year and a half.
Upon his return he was tendered, by Governor Flower, the position of colo-
nel upon the latter's staff, which was accepted by Mr. Paine. Colonel
Paine subsequently became the first president of the Merchants Safe Deposit
Company, in New York city, which position he still holds. He is a director
in the American Surety Company, Metropolitan Savings Bank, State Trust
Company and other corporations.
WALLACE DARROW.
Wallace Darrow was born June 10, 1827, at Plymouth, Connecticut.
When a young man he moved to Rochester, New York, and with his
brother established a large book and publishing business. He was a mem-
ber of the city council of Rochester, and first lieutenant of a local battery of
the National Guard, and served as such when this organization was mustered
into the United States service during the Civil war. He was married Octo-
ber 10, 1856, to Ellen L. Paine, daughter of Colonel Nicholas E. Paine..
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 581
Three children were born as the result of this union, — Walter Nicholas Paine
Darrow, Ethel Abby Darrow and Lillian Sprague Darrow. About 1870
Wallace Darrow moved to New York with his family and engaged in the sur-
gical-instrument business for about fifteen years, when he disposed of his
interest and moved to Yorktown in Westchester county, where he has since
resided, and for a number of years he was connected with the Putnam branch
of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad. His grandfather was
Titus Darrow, a soldier of the Revolution and war of 1812 from Connecticut,
and his great-grandfather was Elisha Blackman, who also did considerable
fighting in the Revolution and during the colonial wars previous.
Walter N. P. Darrow was born in Rochester, New York, February 18,
1863. He entered the College of the City of New York in 1879, and left
during his junior year to enter the United States Military Academy at West
Point. He was appointed by Waldo Hutchins, who was at that time the
member of congress from Westchester county. He graduated in 1886 with
a class standing of twelve in the largest class that was ever graduated at that
institution. He was appointed a second lieutenant in the Fourth United
States Artillery and served at several posts on the Atlantic coast, being two
years at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, where he graduated at the United States
Artillery School for officers. He resigned his commission October 26, 1891,
to engage in business in Columbus, Ohio, where he has since resided. He
was married September 23, 1890, to Miss Mary Neil, daughter of William A.
Neil of Columbus, Ohio. Since leaving the regular service he has served in
the National Guard of Ohio as captain of a light battery, lieutenant-colonel
of the Fourteenth Infantry, and as colonel of the First Regiment of Light
Artillery. He is a member of the Society of the War of 18 12, Sons of the
American Revolution and the Loyal Legion.
Ethel Abby Darrow was born in New York city June 4, 1871, and died
there February i, 1875.
Lillian Sprague Darrow was born at Yorktown November 8, 1876. She
was educated at Drew Seminary, Carmel, New York, and was married
November 4, 1897, to William Fields Beal, of Boston, Massachusetts, where
she has since resided. They have one child, a son, James Hamilton Beal,
born February 4, 1899.
MICHAEL H. WHITE.
The proprietor of Echo Farm is the popular, genial and obliging col-
lector for Harrison township, Westchester county. Though Mr. White is
one of the youngest of the county officials, none are more thorough, prompt
and faithful in the discharge of their manifold duties, and he is second to none
582 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
in his desire to see the best interests of his fellow citizens maintained. He is
now serving his second term in this position, and it is needless to say that he
is meeting the requirements of the office with credit to himself and friends,
for this is a fact generally known.
Mr. White comes from a good old Irish family who have been noted for
patriotism to native and adopted countries. His father, Thomas White, was
born in the beautiful Emerald Isle, in the city of Dublin, within the same
year in which Queen Victoria's useful and eventful life began. Mr. White
grew to manhood in his native land, and when the dreadful famine of 1849
came on he decided to come to America to make a home for himself and fam-
ily. He was a poor man, and at first, as he had no friends nor influence, in
the United States, he took whatever employment came to hand, whereby he
might earn his honest daily bread. His first wages were but four dollars a
month and his board, but he soon was better paid and he persevered until
he became, in time, prosperous, as he certainly deserved to be. He bought
a farm in this county and is still living here, engaged in agricultural pursuits.
His wife, whom he married in Ireland, was likewise a native of Dublin.
She has been a loyal helpmate and is still living to share her husband's joys
and sorrows. They were the parents of six children, namely: Thomas, of
Rye township; Jennie, who died in 1882; Katie, wife of Thomas Knisley;
Julia, wife of J. E. Johnson, of New York city; Michael, subject of this sketch;
and John, of Rye township.
The birth of Michael H. White took place in Westchester county, Jan-
uary 10, 1866. The farm which he cultivates is a valuable one, comprising
forty acres of land situated three miles from Port Chester. The land is
especially suitable for dairying, and, as the adjacent city markets furnish
good points for shipment of all dairy products, Mr. White decided a few
years ago to embark in the business. This move on his part was a fortunate
one for him and he has reaped a goodly harvest of golden shekels each year
since he embarked in the enterprise. He leases other farms and keeps a
large number of high-grade cows. Though he started business on a small
scale he has gradually increased it and is constantly branching out, with a
view to greater things in the future. All of the products of the Echo Farm
Dairy find a ready sale, the name being a guaranty of purity and excellence
of material and preparation. At the present time Mr. White owns twenty-
six cows, and, had he twice the number, could easily find customers for all
the milk, butter and cream he placed on sale.
Since he became a voter Mr. White has been an earnest adherent to the
platform of the Democratic party, and has done effective work in its behalf.
He takes great interest in educational matters and in the condition of the
roads and, in short, in all things which materially affect the comfort and
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 583
convenience of the public at large in this county. He received a good edu-
cation and is thoroughly posted in current events and the general news of
the day. He takes the leading newspapers and in general information aims
to keep abreast of the times. His many sterling qualities of character have
brought to him the friendship and genuine esteem of all with whom he has
had business or social relations.
C. E. KENE.
In the learned professions naught availeth but individual merit. Strong
mentality, close application, comprehensive and accurate knowledge and
ability to apply the principles of law to the points in litigation, are the essen-
tial qualifications of the successful attorney and counselor at law. The pos-
session of these attributes has made Cornelius E. Kene one of the leading
practitioners of Westchester county and New York city.
Born in the city of Brooklyn in the year 1852, he is a son of John R.
and Ellen Jane (Newnan) Kene. During his early childhood his parents
removed to Westchester county, locating in Tuckahoe, town of East Chester,
where he pursued his education in the public schools until 1867. He afterward
studied in a private preparatory school in New York city, and subsequently con-
tinued his education in Baltimore and in Ilchester, Maryland, entering the law
department of Columbia College in 1871. In May, 1873, he was graduated
in that institution, and in December of the same year was admitted to the
bar. He continued his studies for four years with the very prominent law
firrh of Close & Robertson, of White Plains, Westchester county, and spent
the winters of 1876 and 1877 in the state legislature with Senator Robertson,
as clerk of the senate judiciary committee, at Albany, and as assistant to
Hon. Montgomery H. Throop, who was engaged in the work of preparing
the laws of New York, being chairman of the commission on the revision of
the statutes creating the code of civil procedure. All this tended to give Mr.
Kene a very broad and thorough understanding of jurisprudence, and thus
with an exceptionally thorough preparation he entered upon private practice.
' In 1877 he became a member of the firm of Banks, Keogh & Kene, with
offices in New Rochelle and Portchester, New York. Since January 1879, he
has practiced alone, and has an extensive and distinctively representative clien-
tage. He was recognized as one of the leading members of the Westchester
bar when in 1885 he opened an office in New York city. There he soon came
into prominence, for his marked ability won recognition in the favorable
opinions of the court in many litigated interests which he had in charge. He
has been counsel in a large number of important suits involving large amounts
arid most intricate legal questions. In Westchester county he has been
584 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
elected police justice, civil justice and corporation counsel of New Rochelle,
where he retains his residence. He has in an eminent degree that rare abil-
ity of saying in a convincing way the right thing at the right time. With a
knowledge of the fundamental principles of law, he combines a familiarity
with statutory law which makes him a formidable adversary in legal combat
and has -gained him marked distinction.
In June, 1887, Mr. Kenewas united in marriage to Miss Emma C. Ehr-
hart, of New York city, and they have two children, — Cornelius E. and Ju-
han. Theirs is a beautiful home, located on Mayflower avenue, in Huguenot
Park, on an elevated site which commands a fine view of the surrounding
country from Long Island Sound to the Palisades. The Kene household is
the center of a cultured society circle. Mr. Kene is a man of studious habits
and scholarly tastes. He speaks several modern languages, has a broad
acquaintance with the classics and is the author of poetical and prose pro-
ductions. Master of the art of rhetoric, at once entertaining, logical and
convincing, he is popular with his audiences and has delivered a number of
interesting addresses.
E. FRANK HART.
E. Frank Hart is one of the substantial farmers of White Plains, West-
chester county, and was born on the old family homestead in the town of
Greenburg, September 27, 1847. While the origin of the family in America
is not definitely known, the representatives of the name are probably
descended from Edward Hart, who, history tells us, was a selectman of
Flushing, Long Island, and reared a large family. He was imprisoned in
1657 because he would not expose the Quakers and deliver them to the
Dutch governor. Captain Jonathan Hart, one of the direct ancestors of our
subject, was a mariner. He married Hannah, daughter of John Budd, who
was a resident of Long Island prior to 1664. Captain Hart settled at Budd
Neck in 1685, and was a townsman of Rye in 1686. His son Monmouth
married Sarah Ogden, resided at Rye Neck, purchased land in White Plains
in 1712, and died in 1759 or 1761. He had three sons, Monmouth, James
and Joseph. The eldest died in 1786. By his wife, Rachel Hart, he had
the following children: Abraham, Hannah, Mary Ann, Rachel, Robert,
James and Jonathan. James Hart, the second son of Monmouth and Sarah
Hart, died in 1781, leaving three sons, James, Elisha and Jacob. The third
son, Joseph, is said to have met death by drowning. He was given land by
his father, who had purchased it of T. Merritt in 1740, and which had been
proved by will in 1761. His children were Eleizar, of Long Island; Mon-
mouth and John, of Greenburg; Joseph, who resided at the Leggett place;
6" cAi^Afk^ TiQayJ^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 585
Josephua T., who made his home at the Horton place; Isaac; Mrs. Eliza-
beth Hatfield: Mrs. Sarah Purdy; Mrs. Deborah Merritt; and Mrs. Tamer
Horton.
John Hart, the son of Joseph, owned what was afterward called the
Allen Mead place, in Greenburg, and his children were Stephen, Isaac,
William, Sarah, Eleizar, Andrew, Hannah and Patterson, and of this family,
Eleizar married Rhoda Tompkins, and their children are Elisha, Asbury and
John Hunter, the last named a resident of Hartsdale.
Monmouth Hart, born in 1752, was the great-grandfather of our sub-
ject. He was married in 1778 to Mary Gedney and resided at Hartsdale.
Their children were Elizabeth, John, Cynthia, Elijah, Deborah, Joseph,
Peter and Monmouth. The last named married Julia Ann Tompkins, and
of their children, Joseph resides in the west, and Thomas and Lemuel reside
at Hartsdale. John, a son of Monmouth and Mary (Gedney) Hart, and the
grandfather of our subject, was born in 1781, and about 1805 married Phebe
Fisher, by whom he had the iollowing children: Phebe, Dorathea, Maria,
Elijah Gedney, Elizabeth and Abigail Jane.
Elijah Gedney Hart, father of our subject, was born in the village of
Hartsdale, Westchester county, in 1817, and died in 1885. He was a prom-
inent and successful farmer and general business man, and was highly
esteemed by all who knew him. In politics he was a stanch Democrat, and
in religious belief was a Presbyterian, contributing liberally to the support of
the church. In 1840 he was united in marriage to Miss Hanna Downing,
who was born in the city of New York in 1821, and died in Westchester
county in 1888. She was a daughter of Jordan and Elizabeth (Lord) Down-
ing, and when a small child came with her parents to the town of Greenburg.
Her remains were laid to rest in the Rural cemetery at White Plains. To
Gedney and Hannah Hart were born five children: John Jay, born Novem-
ber 20, 1841, was married in 1866, in Salem, Nebraska, to Alvirdia Kinniison,
and now resides in Warsaw, Missouri; Josephine, born March 20, 1844, mar-
ried Jacob C. Horton, and died September 9, 1869, leaving two children,
Cornelius J. and Jennie E. ; Elias Franklyn is the subject of this record;
Monmouth G. , born December 3, 1850, was a prominent attorney and died
December 7, 1895; and Elizabeth, born July 18, 1855, is the wife of Thomas
Gibson, who resides in North street. White Plains, and they have five chil-
dren, Alice, Ellen, James, Frank Hart and Fannie.
When a child E. Frank Hart attended the district schools and later
became a student in the White Plains Academy. The three yeairs imme-
diately following his school days were spent in Nebraska. Returning to his.
native county, he engaged in farming, and in 1879 purchased the Cornelius
Horton farm, containing sixty-three acres, which is a part of the old Horton
586 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
homestead. He now has a well improved place upon which are three good'
barns, a number of other substantial outbuildings and sheds and a handsome
residence of modern architecture. Everything about the place is character-
ized by neatness and thrift and indicates the careful supervision of a pro-
gressive and practical farmer.
In 1875, Mr. Hart was united in marriage to Miss Amelia McCord, a
daughter of Albert and Adelia McCord. She died nine years later, leaving a
daughter, who died at the age of eleven years. In 1886 Mr. Hart led to the
marriage altar Miss Sarah Shute, a daughter of James L. and Mary (Fowler)
Shute, of White Plains. She is a member of and earnest worker in the
Methodist Episcopal church, and is a most estimable lady. Mr. Hart is a com-
municant of the First Presbyterian church, of White Plains, and is serving on
its board of trustees. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat and takes
an intelligent interest in the affairs of his party. He is ever ready to advance
any movement or measure for the betterment of the community, and is a val-
ued citizen of White Plains.
MONMOUTH G. HART.
The subject of this memoir was the third son of Gedney and Hannah
(Downing) Hart, and was born December 3, 1850, in the town of Greenburg,
in a house now standing on Chatterton Hill road. During his boyhood his
parents removed to a farm on Central avenue, and there he spent the greater
part of his life. He pursued his education in the old brick school-house,
which is still standing, on the road between White Plains and Elmsford, and
also spent one term in Professor Moody's select school, at White Plains. At
sixteen years of age he put aside his text-books, and entered upon an inde-
pendent business career by accepting a position as clerk in the dry-goods
store of E. B. Taylor, on Main street, Yonkers, where he remained for two
years, when, on account of failing health, he returned to the farm. He was
too ambitious to remain there for any great length of time, however, and
after a year he began studying law in the office of Charles S. Purdy, of
White Plains. In 1869 he entered the law department of Columbia College,
in which he pursued a two-years course, teaching in the district school in
Bronxville during the vacations of 1869 and 1870. He was graduated with
honor and admitted to the bar, but did not at once begin an independent
practice. Upon receiving his diploma he entered the office of Marshall &
Verplanck, prominent attorneys, and soon became their managing clerk,
attending to a large part of their litigated business. He was thus engaged
until 187s, when he opened an office of his own. He was a most diligent
and painstaking student, but in his early career it was thought by many that
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 587
he would not achieve great success in the profession on account of his retir-
ing disposition. In manner he was very unobtrusive, shrinking from public-
praise and avoiding everything that seemed to partake of the nature of osten-
tation. Success, however, did come to him as the result of his methodical
habits and marked ability. He made it a rule of his professional career to
be at his office the same hour every day, to remain there for a certain length
of time, and to attend to such matters as might be entrusted to his manage-
ment with thoroughness. His devotion to his clients' interests was proverbial,
and this, added to his comprehensive understanding of the principles of juris-
prudence, contributed not a little to his success. Working on quietly and
patiently year after year, his practice steadily increased and he advanced in
public favor. He resided at the family homestead in the town of Greenburg
and there served as justice of the peace for two terms or eight years, until
1892, when he resigned. He had been the protector of his mother after the
father's death, and remained at the old home until Mrs. Hart also was called
away, when he removed to White Plains. He was also for a number of years
attorney for the town of Greenburg and a member of the town board. He
was by no means a politician in the sense of ofifice-seeking, much preferring
to devote his time and attention to his profession, yet realized fully the
responsibility attaching to citizenship, and aided in nominating and elect-
ing good men of the Democratic party, in whose principles he believed so-
firmly.
When a young man Monmouth Hart united with the Presbyterian church,
at White Plains, was ever active in its work, served as trustee for twenty-one
years and was also treasurer and elder of the church for a number of years.
He was a member of the Westchester County Historical Society and served
therein as secretary and treasurer. He was also prominent in the White
Plains Good Government Club, a director in the White Plains Bank, which
he aided in organizing, and a trustee in the Savings Bank, serving as attorney
of both financial institutions. His clientage was large and he was a safe
counselor, his judgment being sound and his conclusions correct. His main
practice was in real-estate law and in the surrogate court, but he was well
versed in the various departments of jurisprudence. In his particular lines
he stood very high, not only by reason of his eminent trustworthiness and
thoroughness but also for his marked ability. He was truly a good man,
noble-spirited and generous, — traits which were manifest in his treatment of
poor clients, whom he served as faithfully as those able to pay large fees. But
his ambition was greater than his strength, and his devotion to business
caused his health to fail. He frequently visited the south for the benefit of
his health, but died suddenly of pneumonia, December 7, 1895, just as he
was entering upon his forty-fifth year. He died with a firm faith in the
588 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Christian religion and his death was mourned by many friends who gathered
to pay their last tribute of respect as he was laid to rest in Rural cemetery, by
the side of his mother, to whom he was ever most devoted.
ISAAC H. VENN.
Of the industrial interests of Yonkers Isaac H. Venn is a prominent rep-
resentative, and his enterprise and progressiveness make him a valued factor
in commercial circles. He is a native of Wilmington, Delaware, born March
26, 1856, and is of Welsh descent. His grandfather, William Venn, lived at
Newport, in Monmouthshire, Wales, and his occupation was that of a
cracker-maker. He took part in the charter riots of 1826, and was an influ-
ential citizen of the community. He held membership in the Presbyterian
church, and died at the age of forty-eight years. His son, Cornelius H.
Venn, the father of our subject, was born in Wales, and when twenty-three
years of age came to America, locating in Wilmington, Delaware, where he
followed the baker's trade for forty years. He has given his political
support to the Republican party; socially, is connected with the Good Fel-
lows Society, and in religious belief is a Presbyterian. He married Hannah
Hambleton and to them were born five children: Mrs. Elizabeth T. Mahon,
Richard T. , Isaac H., Mrs. Mary J. Davis and David H. The father, who
was born January i, 1818, is still living, at the advanced age of eighty years,
but the mother passed away at the age of sixty-three years. She traced her
ancestry back to the early part of the seventeenth century. The family is
of Anglo-Saxon origin, and its representatives were among the earliest set-
tlers of Chester and Bucks counties, Pennsylvania. In the latter lived James
Hambleton, a Quaker, and from him was descended Samuel Hambleton, the
grandfather of our subject and the son of the eighth John Hambleton. He
was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, in 1785, and died March 24, 1851.
His wife, who bore the maiden name of Hannah Brown, was born May 7,
1788, and died September 9, 1833, after which Mr. Hambleton married
Sarah Walton. He was a farmer and nurseryman, and owned a farm in
Upper Oxford township, Bucks county, all his life. He belonged to the
Hicksite branch of the Quakers and was strongly opposed to all ' ' ologies " and
"isms." His children, all born of the first marriage, were Joseph, Isaac.
John, Emil, Sarah, Rachel, Hannah and Samuel.
Isaac H. Venn attended the public schools of Wilmington, Delaware,
until twelve years of age, and then worked with his father in the bakery,
learning the trade in its various branches. At the age of seventeen, how-
ever, he began learning the pattern-maker's trade with the firm of Hillis &
I
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. £89'
Jones, of Wilmington, remaining in their employ from 1872 until 1876.
Later he crossed the Atlantic to Manchester, England, where he secured
employment with the firm of Horner & Barker, manufacturers of soda-
water machinery, ultimately becoming superintendent of their large plant, in
which capacity he served for two years and six months. Subsequently he
was employed for three months as assistant foreman in the pattern-making
department of the Meadow -Hall Locomotive Works, and then took charge
of the plant of the Mitchell Wisbrodale Foundry Company, near Barnsley.
While abroad Mr. Venn visited various points of historic and modern
interest in Great Britain. He saw the famous Blarney stone of Ireland; the
various palaces, now old in story; Dunbarton castle, on the Clyde; the tower
of London, containing the relics of ancient, mediaeval and modern methods
of punishment and execution; Holyrood palace, in Scotland; the home of
John Knox, in England; Shakespeare's home, on the Avon; St. Paul's cathe-
deral, covering seven acres; Westminster Abbey; the two houses of parlia-
ment; the Crystal Palace of London; and Cleopatra's Needle, the famous
Egyptian obelisk which was then being prepared for shipment to New York,
on the river Thames. On one occasion he was preparing to go to Australia,
but owing to the alarming condition of his mother's health he abandoned
the trip.
Returning to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr. Venn engaged in the
installment business in that city, and afterward was connected with the Vul-
can Brass Works, having charge of the pattern department for two years. In
1 88 1 he took charge of the Charles Teal Pattern Works, in Philadelphia, and
in April, 1883, he came to Yonkers, New York, where he has since made his
home. Here he accepted the position of foreman of the pattern-making
department of the plant owned by Otis Brothers & Company, and has since
remained in charge, having control over eleven employes. His thorough
understanding of the business and his many years of experience render him
an expert in his chosen field of endeavor, and his skill and ability have con-
tributed not a little to the success of the enterprise with which he has been
connected. His thorough reliability has won him the confidence of all with
whom he has been associated in business and his standing in the industrial
circles of Yonkers is indeed enviable.
In October, 1883, Mr. Venn was united in marriage to Miss Lydia J.
Broomall, a daughter of Nehemiah Broomall, of Delaware county, Pennsyl-
vania, who was a cousin of Nehemiah Broomall, a miller in Brandywine, and
of Judge John M. Broomall, of Delaware county, Pennsylvania. Her father
heia a number of local offices, and was a member of the Society of Friends.
His family numbered seven children: Mary, Thomas, Martha, Ellen, John,
Sarah and Jennie. Mr. Broomall died September 21, 1875, at the age of
590 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
seventy years, and his wife passed away December 28, 1891, at the age of
seventy-four years.
To Mr. and Mrs. Venn have been born four children: Edith, Viola,
Farla and Roland. The family is well known in the community and Mr.
Venn is quite prominent in the Masonic fraternity. He was initiated in
Nepperhan Lodge, No. 736, A. F. & A. M., of Yonkers, and is now a mem-
ber of Rising Star Lodge, No. 450, of Yonkers. He joined the organization
in 1891 and in 1893 was elected senior warden. The same year he became
a member of Terrace City Chapter, No. 177, R. A. M., and has filled its
various offices, being elected high priest in 1896 and again in 1897. In 1898
he was again chosen to that office, but refused to serve for a third term. In
1899 Mr. Venn was appointed grand master of the first veil of the grand
chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the state of New York. In 1893 he became
a member of the Commandery of Knights Templar, filled several offices
therein, and is now trustee.
CHARLES H. DODGE.
This enterprising agriculturist of New Castle township is the proprietor
of the Chappaqua Mountain farm, and his management of the place is
marked by the scientific knowledge and skill which characterizes the modern
farmer. He was born on his grandfathers homestead. May 25, 1840, and is
a son of Henry Dodge. His paternal grandparents were Thomas and Han-
nah (Reynolds) Dodge, who reared six children, one son and five daughters,
namely: Henry, Mrs. Sarah Hammond, Mrs. Anna Birdsell, Mrs. Ann
Washburn, Mrs. Abbie Washburn and Mrs. Phoebe Washburn. Henry
Dodge, the father of our subject, was a carpenter and undertaker, and in the
latter occupation did quite an extensive business, digging the grave and mak-
ing the coffin for eight dollars and up. He married Miss Rebecca Kipp,
a daughter of Benjamin and Phoebe Kipp, and the only child born of this
union was our subject. The father died at the age of fifty-four years, the
mother at the age of seventy-six. Both were Hicksite Quakers, and were
highly respected by all who knew them.
Upon the old homestead Charles H. Dodge early became famiHar with
every department of farm work, and is to-day recognized as one of the most
thorough and skillful farmers of the community. His literary education was
obtained in the local schools. On the 4th of March, 1868, he wedded Miss
Mary L. Cronk, a daughter of James and Charity (Acker) Cronk, and grand-
daughter of Henry and Amy (Dusenbury) Cronk. Her paternal grandfather
was a native of Holland, while her maternal grandfather, Wilbert Acker, was
the hero of Washington Irving's novel, " Wilbert's Roost," which place was
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 591
afterward the home of the famous novelist, the name being changed to Sun-
nyside. To James and Charity Cronk were born five children, of whom three
are still living: Willot A., a resident of Peekskill; Ezra J., of New Castle
township; and Mary L. , wife of our subject. The two deceased are Leonard,
who was an officer in the Union army during the civil war and was killed in
the service, leaving a widow and one son, Frederick, now a resident of Tarry-
town; and Robert, who died at Port Chester, leaving a widow and three chil-
dren. The father of Mrs. Dodge died at the ripe old age of eighty-seven
years, and the mother at the age of eighty. In early life they were members
of the Methodist church, but later united with the Society of Friends. To
Mr. and Mrs. Dodge were born three children, namely: Henry, who mar-
ried Millie Halsey and died August lo, 1893, at the age of twenty-four years;
Rebecca, who died May 5, 1894, at the age of twenty-one; and James, who
was born June 4, 1876, and is the only one now living. They have an
adopted daughter, a niece of Mrs. Dodge — Josephine R., daughter of Robert
Cronk — who has entered into the affections of her foster parents and in some
respects fills the place of the loved ones they have lost. She has made her
home with them since two years of age. The family is one of prominence
in the community with whose interests they have long been identified, and it
is safe to say that none are held in higher esteem than Mr. and Mrs. Dodge.
GEORGE B. CLARK, M. D.
Dr. Clark is one of the younger but most able representatives of the
medical profession in Westchester county, having been successfully engaged in
practice at Armonk since the fall of 1 894. He was born in Germantown, New
York, December 23, 1872, and is a son of Rev. G. B. and Eunice E. (Clear-
water) Clark. The. father, who has for thirty years been a member of the
Methodist Episcopal conference of New York, is also a native of this state
and the son of Robert Clark, a mechanic. To a limited extent the former
attended a seminary during his youth, but his education was mostly obtained
through his own unaided efforts and close application. Like all ministers
of his denomination, he has been located at various places and now has
charge of the congregation at Edenville, Orange county. New York. In his
family were three children, namely: Ida, who died in early life; George B.,
our subject; and Charles J., a civil engineer residing in Armonk.
During his boyhood and youth Dr. Clark accompanied his parents on
their removal from place to place, his early education being secured in the
public schools. Later he attended the Hudson River Institute, where he
was graduated in the class of 1890. After spending six months as a clerk
■in a drug store he entered the medical department of the Syracuse Univer-
592 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
sity, at Syracuse, New York, graduating there June 14, 1894. The following-
fall he came to Armonk and opened an office, having since been successfully
engaged in the general practice of medicine and surgery ^t that place. He
is the only physician in the village, and has established an excellent practice.
He has also practiced quite extensively in the Westchester county house,
and is a prominent member of the County Medical Society. He also belongs
to Syracuse Chapter, Beta Theta Phi, and the Junior Order of American
Mechanics. In politics he is a Republican, and for two years he has most
capably filled the office of town physician.
On the 1 8th of September, 1895, Dr. Clark married Miss Minnie Pal-
mer, of Armonk, a daughter of Charles and Nancy (Finch) Palmer, and by
this union one child has been born: Charles George. The Doctor is a mem-
ber af the Methodist Episcopal church, while his wife holds membership in
the Congregational church, and socially they are people of prominence in
their community.
HENRY A. REYNOLDS.
Born in the town of Bedford, Westchester county. New York, June 17,
1833, Henry A. Reynolds was a son of Daniel C. and Sarah (Mead) Rey-
nolds, both natives of this county. The former was born in the village of
Cross River, August 13, 1812, and died December 30, 1884; and the latter,
born February 22, 18 12, in Bedford, died August 7, 1886. The paternal
grandfather, Nathaniel Reynolds, was born August 7, 1782, at Cross River,
and died near Kensico, March 13, 1874, when in his ninety-second year.
The great-grandfather, also named Nathaniel Reynolds, was born February
22, 1754, and died September 21, 1843. His wife Hannah was born March
25. 1759. and died April 11, 1846. His maternal grandfather was Zedrick
Mead and the grandmother, Nancy Knapp, both of whom were born in
Westchester county. Both branches of the family were of English origin.
Walter Mead was the first of the family to come to America, and he settled
at Salem, Massachusetts, whence a branch of the family moved to this
county.
Henry A. Reynolds was the only son and surviving child of his parents.
An only sister, Nancy C, married Casper G. Brower and at her death left
two daughters, Ida and Grace. Mr. Reynolds attended school at Mount
Pleasant, this state, and later at Peekskill Academy, after which he returned
to the farm, where he remained until he was twenty-one. Having shown an
aptitude for tools, he took up the trade of carpenter, at which he worked
about the home place, where he remained with his parents until their death.
Before their death he came into possession of the farm of fifty-five acres,
which he cultivated during life. It has long been in good condition and is
^^^^-^ *^^.^^,Jfe^^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 593
adorned by a fine residence, while tiie barns and outbuildings have been in
keeping, and an air of general prosperity and comfort still pervades it.
Mr. Reynolds was united in matrimony, December 24, i860, to Miss
Harriet Dean Campbell, of Greenburg, the second daughter of Stephen and
Fannie (Sniffin) Campbell. To this union were born three children, — two.
sons and a daughter, as follows: Fannie E., wife of C. Booth, of Perth
Amboy, New Jersey; Daniel C. and Herbert A.
Mr. Reynolds died February 8, 1899, and was buried at Kenisco ceme-
tery, after a long period of sickness, although confined to his house but a
short time. He was an earnest Christian and attended the Reformed Pres-
byterian church at Elmsford, New York, while in politics he was inde-
pendent.
WILLIAM H. STOWE, M. D.
An eminent physician and surgeon now located at Cross River, West-
chester county. New York, is Dr. Stowe, who was born in New Haven, Con-
necticut, August 10, 1842, a son of Henry and Sarah (Lees) Stowe, and was
reared in his native place, preparing for college at General Russell's Colle-
giate and Commercial Institute. He laid aside his text-books, however, in
September, 1861. and joined the boys in blue in the defense of his country
during the civil war. He enlisted in Company G, Sixth Connecticut Volun-
teer Infantry, but in 1863 resigned his commission as lieutenant and until the
close of the war served in various departments, being in the pay department
when the war closed in 1865. While with his regiment he served in the south,
and was in various engagements along the southern coast.
After the war Dr. Stowe studied law for a time, and then engaged in
teaching in General Russell's Military School at New Haven, where he remained
from 1869 until 1888, conducting the school on his own account for the last
three years. For ten years he was also a member of the state military board
of Connecticut. While engaged in teaching he prepared to enter the med-
ical profession, and in 1888 was granted the degree of M. D. by the medical
department of Yale College. For two years he engaged in practice at New
Haven, and spent three years in Pensylvania, but in 1894 came to his pres-
ent location at Cross River, New York, where he has succeeded in building
up a large general practice. His thorough knowledge of medicine and his.
skill in surgery have won for him the confidence of the people to such an
extent that, though comparatively a new-comer, his success is already an
assured fact. He holds membership in the American Medical Association,
the State Medical Society of Connecticut, and the Westchester County Med-
ical Society. He is also connected with the Grand Army of the Republic,,
and is a worthy member of the Presbyterian church.
38
594 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
In 1869 Dr. Stowe wedded Miss Ellen F. Read, who died May 29, 1892,
leaving four children, namely: Sarah R., nowthewifeof Frank E. Weaver,
of Torrington, Connecticut, who is connected with the Eagle bicycle works at
Torrington; Eric L., also with the bicycle company; and William D. and
Dorothea O., at home.
MARTIN F. MULRdONEY.
Martin F. Mulrooney has spent his entire life in Yonkers. He was born
on the i6th of July, 1867, being a son of Patrick and Mary (Corley) Mul-
rooney. For thirty-five years the father resided in this city, and here he
died, in December, 1891, at the age of forty-eight years. He was a very
enthusiastic Democrat in his political affiliations and was a member of St.
Mary's Roman Catholic church. His wife died in July, 1886, at the age
-of forty-three years.
On attaining the regulation age Martin Mulrooney entered the parochia
•school of St. Mary's and then attended the public schools of his native city,
where he pursued his education until fourteen years of age, when he put
■aside his text-books in order to learn the more difficult lessons in the school
of experience. Since that time he has been dependent entirely upon his
■own efforts and whatever success he has achieved is due entirely to his
industry and capable management. He was first employed in Froehlich's
stove factory, in Yonkers, where he remained two years. He completed his
apprenticeship at the moulder's trade in the employ of Otis Brothers & Corti-
pany and has since been connected with their extensive works, covering a
period of fifteen years. His long connection with that firm well indicates his
superior workmanship, his fidelity to duty and his thorough reliabity. He
is one of the most trusted employes in the foundry, and well merits the con-
fidence reposed in him.
In his political views Mr. Mulrooney is a Democrat, and has always
-taken a very active interest in politics, being a recognized leader in the ranks
of his party in this locality. He was a candidate for supervisor from the
second ward (now the fifth ward), and though defeated it was a defeat that
amounted almost to victory, for he succeeded in reducing the usual Repub-
lican majority of four hundred and fifty votes to fourteen. At the following
election his opponent was again candidate for the office and received a major-
ity of five hundred, so that the former election plainly indicates the personal
popularity of our subject and the confidence reposed in him by his fellow
townsmen. He is vice-chairman of the Democratic general committee of
Yonkers, has served as delegate to various county, congressional, judicial and
assembly conventions, and is the recognized leader of the Democratic forces
in his ward.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 595
Mr. Mulrooney takes an active interest in all that pertains to the prog-
ress and upbuilding of his city, and is especially prominent in connection
with the fire department. He is a member of the Hudson Hose Company,
was twice foreman of the Otis Fire Brigade, and has represented the former
on the board of the fire department of the city of Yonkers. He has been one
of the most active and efficient members of the department, and has done
much for its advancement and proficiency.
In 1887 Mr. Mulrooney was united in marriage to Miss Annie S. Casey,
a daughter of Patrick Casey, of Newburg, New York, and later of Matteawan,
New York, and to them have been born three children: Frank, James and
Anna. The family are members of the St. Mary's Roman Catholic church
and Mr. Mulrooney belongs to the Knights of Columbus, the Foresters of
America and the Otis Mutual Aid Society.
ALBERT A. ULTCHT.
Practical men like the subject of this sketch are the only real builders of
the institutions of civilization; and Mr. Ultchtis not only to be classed among
the builders but even in the front rank of the builders, possibly the first one
in that rank in Mount Vernon. In both material and spiritual matters he has
been remarkably efficient.
Mr. Ultcht was born June 5, 1862, in Dutchess county, New York.
His father, Augustus S. Ultcht, was a native of Germany, served in the Saxon
wars and thereafter came to America. He was a man of good education and
natural ability, and located in the town of Stanford, Dutchess county, this
state, where he became extensively and successfully engaged in agricultural
pursuits and accumulated considerable property. In his politics he was in
general a Democrat, but an independent thinker and voter. In his religion-
he was a Lutheran in the Fatherland, but in this country was a member of
the Presbyterian church. He was born May 14, 1827, and died on his home
farm, in February, 1897, at the age of seventy years; and his wife, Augusta,
who was born October 21, 1828, departed this life February 26, 1876. They
had seven children: The first died in infancy, unnamed; Charles P., August,
Samuel, Albert A., Minnie, Henrietta Millus and Mary Cables.
Mr. Albert A. Ultcht was fourteen years of age when his mother died; he
■afterward found employment on a farm until sixteen years old, when he
began to learn the mason's trade, serving a three-years apprenticeship; and
at this trade he was employed six years at Poughkeepsie, New York, and he
■continued as a journeyman at the trade until 1889, when he became associ-
ated with Frank G. Bruce, forming the firm of Bruce & Ultcht, contractors
and builders; but this partnership was terminated at the end of a year, and
596 ■ WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
since then Mr. Ultcht has operated alone. His offices are at No. 1 1 South
Third avenue, Mount Vernon, New York. Although the building interest
has been rather dull in Mount Vernon for some time, Mr. Ultcht has all the
contracts he can handle, employing sometimes as many as seventy-five men.
He is careful, conservative and faithful to all promises, is industrious, ener-
getic and wide-awake — indeed one of the most enterprising citizens of the city
of Mount Vernon.
Mr. Ultcht takes great interest in public affairs, in which he exerts a
powerful influence, in national affairs being a Democrat and in local interests
independent. He is now serving his second term as a member of the board
of aldermen, representing the first ward, to which office he was elected by
a majority larger than the total nnmber of votes received by his opponent.
He is considered one of the most aggressive and important members of the
board — in fact, the leader. To the interests of his city he has devoted a
great deal of time and labor. He is an influential member of the Firemen's
Association, having served five years in the fire department of the city, and
is a member of the Firemen's Benevolent Association, and the East Side
Improvement Association. In the fraternal orders he holds membership in
Hiawatha Lodge, No. 434, F. &A. M. ; Einheit Lodge, No. 461, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and Guiding Star Lodge, No. 3, of the Encampment
of the latter order. He is a member of the Mount Vernon City Club, Mount
Vernon Bicycle Club, and an honorary member of the Board of Trade. In
religion he is a member of the Congregational church at Mount Vernon,
which was organized in 1895. For the house of worship of this denomination
he purchased the site and at his own risk and responsibility erected the build-
ing, in 1897, and the church has already paid for it. He may therefore be
considered the leader in the interests of his church at Mount Vernon. He
.is also a member of the Young Men's Christian Association.
June 21, 1884, is the date of Mr. Ultcht's union in matrimony with
Miss Elizabeth E. Terwilliger (daughter of William and Glorianna (Wy-
gant) Terwilliger, and they have two children, — William Albert and Floyd
Stanley.
ALFRED LAWRENCE.
One of the most prominent residents of Tarrytown, New York, is Alfred
Lawrence, a brief biography of whom follows. Mr. Lawrence is a son of
John and Mary Lawrence, and was born in New York city, June 15, 1809.
There his grandfather lived and there his father, who was a lawyer and a
public man, was born, his death occurring in New Orleans, Louisiana, of
yellow fever. John and Mary Lawrence had but one child, our subject.
When his father died Alfred Lawrence was but a mere lad. He attended
>^-C^^Xj^^t^^^Ck:yC^^^tJ^^^
0.'^'^<v^t.-C^^--3't_^ t/^O
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 597
the old Duane street school, where many since eminent New Yorkers
received their primary education, and when he was old enough learned the
trade of horse-shoeing, at which he busied himself three years. Then he
went to boating between New York and Albany and became a captain, being
well known along the lower Hudson. For fifteen years he was thus employed
and then located at Tarrytown and engaged in marketing and the saloon
business. Later he became a popular hotel-keeper, and as such for nearly
half a century greeted those who came to Tarrytown.
Mr. Lawrence was an old-time Democrat, and, as events proved, a war
Democrat. He took an active interest in politics as a young man, and an
even more active interest in fighting fire. He had been a member of the
"Old Fourteenth" engine company of New York city, with headquarters at
Vesey and Church streets, and had done gallant service with "Old Number
One." He was the organizer of the fire department at Tarrytown, and his
experience in New York, — including that at the great fire which, on Decem-
ber i6, 1835, burned out a block opening from Broadway to the East river, —
was useful in that work and in the active operations which naturally fol-
lowed as occasion demanded. He gathered the original Phoenix Company
together and then, at his own expense, secured for "the boys" an engine
from Syracuse. It cost six hundred dollars, but he did not stop working and
giving until a suitable engine-house was erected. When the department was
reorganized, in 1861, he was elected its chief, and he held that office most
efficiently for many years, except while in military service in the south.
For several years he was chief of police at Tarrytown.
May 31, i86r, Mr. Lawrence enlisted in Company H, Thirty-second
New York Volunteers, and his oldest son, Henry A. Lawrence, enlisted with
him. The regiment proceeded to Washington, thence to Alexandria, and
was soon at the front. At Bull Run, young Lawrence, who had been pro-
moted to sergeant, was wounded and later perished by fire as he lay helpless
on the field! The fire company he had organized at Tarrytown formed the
nucleus of Company H and contributed thirty members to it. Mr. Lawrence
was made sergeant at the beginning. He was promoted to be second lieu-
tenant June 12, 1862, and to the first lieutenancy of the company March 20,
1863. He was mustered out of service June 9, following. He was in the
Second Brigade, Fifth Division of the Army of Northern Virginia until Octo-
ber 15, 1861; in the Third Brigade, Fifth Division of the Army of the Poto-
mac until May, 1862; in the Second Brigade, First Division, Sixth Corps of
the Army of the Potomac until May, 1563, — almost at the expiration of his
term of service. He participated in duty in the vicinity of Washington and
at Fairfax Court House, in the Blackburn's Ford affair, in the memorable
Bull Run fight, in the skirmish near Munson Hill and in that at Annandale,
598 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
in the Peninsula campaign, in the siege of Yorktown, in the expedition to
West Point and in the engagement at West Point, in the affairs at Barbours-
ville and Ethan's Landing, in the seven-days battles before Richmond, in the
engagements at Gaines' Mills, Gamett's and Golding's Farms, Savage Station,
White Oak Swamp, Malvern Hill, Bakersville, South Mountain, Antietam,
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Mayer's Heights, Salem Church and inter-
mediate points, doing soldiers' duty in camp, on the field of battle and on
many long and weary marches.
Mr. Lawrence is an active and enthusiastic G. A. R. man and was a
member of Acker Post, of Tarrytown, until it was disbanded, and since then
he has been a member of Kitching Post, of Yonkers. He has been for many
years identified with the Masonic order. He has in his posession a badge of
the Richmond, Virginia, chief of police which was taken off the coat of that
officer during the war at Morrisonville, near Richmond.
Mr. Lawrence was married, in August, 1841, to Emily Minnerly, of
Mount Pleasant, who died July 17, 1878, and who bore him the following
named children: Edward A., who was killed in the battle of the Wilderness;
Henry A., who is deceased; Louisa, wife of Wilson Acker, ticket agent for
the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, in New York
city; Peter, of Tarrytown, who married Rebecca Knapp, died June 5, 1899;
Sarah, wife of John McNally, postmaster of Sing Sing; Alfred, Jr., who died
at the age of fifteen; and George and Nellie, who died in infancy. August 5,
1885, Mr. Lawrence married Emeline (Cole) Lake, daughter of Jacob and
Aletta Cole, of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county. Mr. Cole was a farmer
of prominence, and he died in 1852, aged sixty-one. By his present wife,
Mr. Lawrence has no children. Mrs. Lawrence's family is well known in
this part of the state. One of her sisters was Mrs. Euphemia Bishop; another
is Mrs. Susan Ann King, a widow; a third is Mrs. Mary Lake, of Yonkers.
By her marriage with Jeremiah Lake, deceased, Mrs. Lawrence has four
children: Emma, Mrs. William DeRevere, Mrs. Cornell and Mrs. Mollie
Beesmer.
JAMES D. McCABE.
" The proper study of mankind is man," said Pope, and aside from this,
in its broader sense, what base of study and information have we.' Genealog-
ical research, then, has its value, — be it in the tracing of an obscure and
broken line or the following back of the course of a noble and illustrious
lineage whose men have been valorous, whose women of gentle refinement.
We of this end-of-the-century, democratic type cannot afford to scoff at or
hold in light esteem the bearing up of a 'scutcheon upon whose fair face
appears no sign of blot; and he should thus be the more honored who honors
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 599
a noble name and the memory of noble deeds. The lineage of the subject
of this review is one of the most distinguished and interesting order, and no
apology need be made in reverting to this in connection with the individual
accomplishments of the subject himself.
The paternal great-grandfather, James McCabe, was a native of Scot-
land and served as a trooper under Prince William of Orange in a war
against the king of Ireland. John McCabe, the grandfather of our subject,
was born on the Emerald Isle at Tanderagee, county Armagh, where the
family lived until it was transplanted to American soil by James McCabe, th&
father of James D., who established the old McCabe homestead in the town,
of Scarsdale, Westchester county. New York. There he spent his remaining
days. He was united in marriage to Mary Donovan, who was born in this
country, where her maternal ancestors (the Kipps and Fishers) have resided
since the year 1630. Her father belonged to one of the distingnished families
of the Emerald Isle, whose ancestry has been traced back in Burk's History
of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland to the year 960, and the
line embraces earls and other members of the nobility. They owned a very
extensive estate in Ireland, and were possessors of much wealth. The great-
grandfather of our subject was Edward Donovan, of the Ballymore estate
near Dublin, Ireland, who wedded Mary Broughton, of Maidstone, Kent, Eng-
land, whose mother was Mary Ogle, only daughter of Samuel Ogle, Esq. , a mem-
ber of parliament for Berwick, England. He was also governor of the Mary-
land colony from 1732 to 1733, from 1735 to 1742. One of the sons of
Edward and Mary Donovan was the Rev. George Ogle Donovan, who was
born in the city of Dublin and was educated at Kings College, Dublin, and
studied for th« ministry of the Established Church of England, but afterward
left that church, became a Wesleyan preacher and traveled for seven years in
Ireland under a license from John Wesley. He then came to the United
States and took an active part in furthering the cause of Methodism in this
country, as a local preacher, and about 1797 he located at Jamaica, Long
Island. He married Mary Devereux, who was born in New York city, but
was of French descent. Her ancestors, De Evereux, removed from France
to England, on account of the religious persecution in the former land, and
they were married in Wexford, Ireland. Her father was Captain James
Devereux, a shipping merchant, who owned the vessels which he sailed
and their cargoes, and sailed under the British flag. His home at this time
was in New York city. He made voyages between Liverpool, New York and
West Indies. At the time of the American Revolution he was a loyalist and
was three times captured and held as a prisoner of war by the colonial troops.
One of the two daughters of George and Mary (Devereux) Donovan was
Mary, who became the wife of James McCabe. She was born May 2, l799^
600 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
in Jamaica, Long Island, and died in the old home at Scarsdale, April i6,
1887. The other daughter was Phebe, who died a spinster.
The father of our subject passed away February 26, 1855, his wife long
surviving him. They were the parents of five children: Mary J., who died
November 7, 1892; James D. ; Phcebe A. , who departed this life May 15,
1892; Ellen A., who resides with her brother at the old home; and George
D. died when an infant.
At the old family . homestead in the town of Scarsdale, Westchester
county, James D. McCabe was born, December 16, 1826. He spent his
boyhood on the farm and was sent to the district school of the neighborhood,
where he acquired a fair English education. For many years he successfully
carried on agricultural pursuits, and though he has now retired from that
vocation he is still the owner of fifty acres of rich and valuable land. He
extended the field of his endeavors by becoming agent for several fire-insur-
ance companies and for some years past has given his attention to the fire-
insurance business.
March 12, 1861, J. D. McCabe was united in marriage to'Miss Sarah E.
Fish, only daughter of Nathaniel Fish. She died May 6, 1864, leaving
a son, Edward Devereux, who married Miss Madeline B. Kipp, a daughter
of George O. Kipp, and resides in Brooklyn.
In pohtics Mr. McCabe is a stanch Jeffersonian Democrat, firm in his
allegiance to the national principles of his party. For several years he was
justice of the peace and for some time was also assessor of the town of
Scarsdale. His time is now given to the management of his business and
property interests. His entire life has been spent in this locality, and that
the acquaintances of his youth are numbered among the friends of his man-
hood stands in unmistakable evidence of an honorable career.
JOHN H. TREMPER.
For thirty-eight years John Henry Tremper has been connected with the
business of Yonkers, and he to-day occupies in commercial circles an honored
place accorded him by reason of his straightforward dealing, his enterprise
and his diligence. A native of the Empire state, he was born in Clarkstown,
Rockland county, July 20, 1837, and is a son of Harmann and Eliza Ann
(Bell) Tremper. Although the history of the origin of the family is lost in
the remote regions of antiquity, the following record of the family to which
the paternal grandfather of our subject belonged is authentic; Christiana, the
eldest child, was born October 31, 1732, was baptized on the nth of Novem-
ber following and married Ebenezer Wood; Anna Christine, born September
13. 1735. was followed by Margretje, born February 8, 1737; John Jacob,
fii/i^ /& (^■v.e^T^yi/A^e^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 601
TDorn April 28, 1739; Elizabeth, born April 5, 1741; William, born July 13,
1743; Harmann, born September 15, 1745; John, born November 21, 1747;
and Johannas Jerry, born June 13, 1751. The paternal grandfather of our
subject was a farmer of Clarkstown, New York, and in his political views was
a Democrat. He had nine children: Rebecca, Sallie, Maggie, Elizabeth,
Mrs. Myder, Hance, Jacob, Peter and Harmann.
The last named, Harmann Tremper, was born at Clarkstown, New York,
December 25. 1784, and died March 5, 1861. He learned the weaver's trade
and followed that pursuit in connection with farming. He served his country
in the war of 181 2, and was afterward granted a pension in recognition of the
aid he rendered the nation. He was married to EHza Ann Bell December 31,
1802, and to them were born nine children: Catherine, wife of Joseph Daniels;
•George R. , who wedded Mary E. Town, Hannah Maria, wife of Harman Hoff-
man, who was engaged in the ice business at Rockland Lake, New York, and
died March 12, 1889, at the age of fifty-nine years; Harvey, who died in
1848, at the age of sixteen years; Abraham, who died August 11, 1883, at the
age of forty-seven years; John H., of this review; Eliza Ann, wife of Ebenezer
Hazzard; Harriet, wife of John Rogers; and Emily, who died September 9,
1847.
In the public schools of his native town John H. Tremper acquired his
■education, but put aside his text-books whon fourteen years of age in order
to learn the carpenter's trade, which he followed for seventeen years. In
1 86 1 he came to Yonkers, where he engaged in carpentering for some years,
but for a quarter of a century he has dealt in ice, and has become one of the
leading merchants in his line in the city. He formerly owned a pond from
which he took the ice, but now deals in Hudson river ice. His trade con-
stantly increasing, has demanded six wagons with which to deliver ice to his
patrons, and his business thus grew to large proportions. As his financial
resources have increased he has made- judicious investments in real estate,
and is now the owner of considerable valuable property both improved and
and unimproved, including a fine residence.
On the 3rd of January, 1863, Mr. Tremper was united in marriage to
Miss Frances Tompkins, a daughter of William S. Tompkins, a celebrated
drum manufacturer, residing in Yonkers. Their union has been blessed with
five children: Fannie E. , wife of John S. Hoyt, an official in the armory
at the Battery, in New York city, but a resident of Yonkers; George R. , who
married Gertrude King and is in the ice business in Yonkers;. Louise T., Ella
B. and Mary A., at home.
Mr. Tremper gives his political support to the men and measures of the
Republican party, with which he has affiliated since attaining his majority.
He feels a deep interest in its success and keeps well informed on the issues
602 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
of the day, but has never sought office, preferring to devote his time
and energies to the management of his business interests. He is a man of
marked business and executive ability, and from the time when he started out
to learn carpentering, at the age of fourteen, he has steadily advanced, until
he now occupies a leading position in commercial circles in Yonkers. His
course has ever been characterized by strict adherence to duty and the right,
and he enjoys the public confidence in a high degree. The family attend the
Reformed church in Yonkers.
MICHAEL HENRY REAGAN.
This well known Democratic politician of Yonkers is a native of this-
place, his birth having occurred in the old third ward, February 2, 1853.
His parents were Patrick and Johanna (Monahan) Reagan, the father a native
of county Kerry, Ireland. After his marriage he came to the United States,
and for years was the flagman and agent at Glenwood Station, this city, and
later was employed at the local gas-works plant. He was a Republican and
was a hero of the civil war, his life being offered up as a sacrifice to the land
of his adoption. He served in the Sixth New York Heavy Artillery, under
command of Captain Meyer, who was killed at the battle of the Wilderness.
Mr. Reagan was wounded in the ankle and was left for two days and two
nights on the battle-field, and while being conveyed to Richmond, as a
prisoner, died in the hands of his captors, his sufferings and exposure to the
elements having proved too much for even his strong constitution. He was
a brave soldier and had participated in numerous other engagements and
battles. Religiously, he was a Roman Catholic, belonging to St. Mary's
parish. His widow died in 1876, aged about forty-two years. Of their chil-
dren, Ellen is the wife of Martin Coyne; Mary died when young; Arthur is the
next in order of birth; and Catherine. Murphy and Margaret are deceased.
The subject of this sketch attended St. Mary's old and new parochial
schools in the city, and also went to the public grammar school No. 6. He
left his studies at an early age and commenced the struggle for a livelihood.
For some years he worked in a silk mill, and by the time he was sixteen
occupied the very responsible position of foreman of the spinning-room. He
was with the firm, W. B. Copcutt, for about five years in the capacity men-
tioned, and gave general satisfaction. He mastered the trade of hat-finisher,
and has filled the place of superintendent of this special department with
several large concerns in Reading, Pennsylvania, continuing in that line of
business up to 1887. He then returned to this city, and on the site of the
old homestead built a substantial business block. Here he embarked in gen-
eral merchandising, and carried a special line of sea food.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 60B
For a quarter of a century Mr. Reagan has been a member of the
Ancient Order of Hibernians, and was prominently connected with the organ-
ization of the Division No. 14, one of the strongest lodges in the county
to-day. He has been treasurer of the same since its organization, about ten
years ago. For two consecutive terms he was the chairman, and for a
period the treasurer, of a volunteer fire company, but has served out his time
and is now an honorary member and belongs to the Exempt Firemen's Asso-
ciation. He is an active member of the Columbia Hook & Ladder Com-
pany, No. 2. In the local Democratic ranks he has always been an
important factor since he arrived at his majority; has been a delegate to
various conventions, and is a member of the general committee of his party
hereabouts. In 1898 he was a candidate on the independent ticket for
alderman from the sixth ward, and won against a very strong Democratic
vote. There are thirteen hundred and fifty-six voters in this ward; twelve
hundred votes were polled, and of these he received a majority of fifty-six
votes. He is a member of the Holy Name Society of St. Joseph's Catholic
church, and is a member of the church, as well.
In 1878 Mr. Reagan married Anna Bach, and of their eleven children
seven are living, namely: Margaret, Ellen, Michael, Mamie, Catherine,
Julia and Rose. This worthy couple have also adopted a son, John Murphy.
WILLIAM MORTON, Jr.
This prosperous business man of Croton, New York, has been a resident
of Croton all his life. He was born here November 11, 1847, son of Will-
iam and Eliza J. (Sherwood) Morton.
The Mortons have long been identified with Westchester county. Will-
iam Morton, the father of our subject, was born in Somerstown, this county,
in 18 12, and was for forty years a freighter on the Hudson river, owning a
line of sailing craft that ran between Croton and New York city. He was
well known and highly respected here. He died in 1883, at the age of seven-
ty-two years. His parents were William and Chloe Ann (Teed) Morton.
William Morton, the elder, was a farmer. He was born in the north of Ire-
land, and came to America in 1780, locating in Westchester county. New
York. He married, in Somerstown, Miss Chloe Ann Teed, a native of New
York, and to them were born four children, namely: William, father of the
subject of this sketch; John, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, now eighty-
four years of age; George, who died at the age of twenty; and Chloe, who
died at the age of twenty-two. As far back as their history is traced the
family have been stanch Methodists. The grandfather of our subject built
a Methodist church at Mount Airy, New York. William and Eliza J. (Sher-
604 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
wood) Morton had nine children, namely: Chloe Ann, deceased wife of
Ebenezer Fowler; Eliza J., wife of Isenhort Flewellyn; George, a resident
of Peekskill, New York, successor to his father in the freighting business;
John, a resident of New York city, is by occupation a brickmaker; William,
whose name forms the heading of this article; Sherwood, a pilot, has his
residence at Croton; Frank, deceased; Maria L., wife of J. G. Miller, of
Sing Sing, New York; and Ella, widow of George W. Barmore.
After finishing his schooling Mr. William Morton engaged in boating
with his father on the Hudson river, and was thus occupied until he reached
his majority. He then entered the employ of Cyrus Frost, a merchant of
Croton, with whom he remained for two years, at the end of that time going
into business for himself, and entering upon a career that has proved a most
successful one. He began with a small stock of goods purchased with money
he had earned by his own efforts, and with no aid he has pushed forward to
the marked success he has achieved. From time to time he has made valu-
able investments with his surplus. He has bought property and erected a
number of dwellings in the town and in this way has he done much to pro-
mote the growth of Croton. Politically he is an ardent Democrat, and a
number of local offices have been ably filled by him. Fraternally he affiliates
•with the Improved Order of Red Men.
Mr. Morton was married in 1872 to Miss Elizabeth Grattan, daughter of
John and Mary Grattan, and their happy union has been blessed in the birth
of ten children, all now at home, namely: Ahce, Grace, Frank, Elizabeth,
Minnie, Robert, Arthur, Albert, Gertrude and Esther. He and his family
are members of the Episcopal church, of which he is a vestryman.
JAMES F. MERRITT.
This well-known and highly esteemed citizen of Bedford township,
Westchester county, has accomplished a most satisfactory work as a farmer
and has succeeded in accumulating a valuable estate. He was born on the
20th of May, 1820, on the farm where he now resides, and is descended
from good old Revolutionary stock, his grandfather, John Merritt, also a
native of this county, having aided the colonies in their successful struggle
for independence. Both he and his wife, who bore the maiden name of
Sarah Miller, died in Westchester county. Their children were David,
Stephen, John and Ruth, now Mrs. Elliott Smith.
John Merritt, Jr., father of our subject, was born in Bedford township,
and on reaching manhood married Miss Hannah Gregory, daughter of Stephen
and Chloe Gregory, whose family also was represented in the Revolutionary
war. Six children were born to John and Hannah Merritt, namely: Mrs.
OUi^-lyU^
"jrJuJu^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 605
Ruth A. Timberman; Mrs. Phoebe Newman; Chloe, wife of Colonel E.
Avery, a state officer; James F., our subject; and Norman and Caroline^
both deceased. The father, who was a farmer by occuption, a Democrat in
politics, and a Methodist in religious belief, died at the age of sixty-six years,
and his estimable wife passed away at the age of eighty-six.
James F. Merritt was reared to rural Hfe, his education being obtained
in the public schools near his boyhood home. Throughout his business
career he has engaged in agricultural pursuits with marked success, and is
now the owner of several fine farms, known as the Newman, the Daniel
Bouton, the John Banks, and also a part of the Peter Miller farm and a part
of the Alva Miller farm, aggregating over four hundred acres, most of which
are under a high state of cultivation and well improved. In connectio n
with general farming he has been interested in stock-raising and the milk
business for forty-eight years, and in these branches of his business has also
met with success.
At the age of twenty-six, Mr. Merritt was united in marriage with Miss
Lucy A. Whitlock, a daughter of John B. and Rachel (Umsted) Whitlock,
of Whitlockville, and by this union two children have been born: John B.,
who married Phoebe Teed, and has one child, Ella Maud; and Ella, wife of
Isaac Turner, of Bedford township, this county. For over half a century
this worthy couple have traveled life's journey together, sharing with each
other its joys and sorrows, its adversity and prosperity, and now in their
declining years they are surrounded by a large circle of friends and acquaint-
ances who esteem them highly for their genuine worth. He is an earnest
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics Mr. Merritt is a
Democrat; and she is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church.
REV. WILLIAM B. WALLER.
William Bradley Waller is one who has done much and done it well, —
wherein all honor lies. A man of ripe scholarship and marked executive
ability, his life has been consecrated to the cause of the Master and to the
uplifting of men. He has devoted himself without ceasing to the interests
of humanity and to the furtherance of all good works. His reputation is not
of a restricted order, and his power and influence in his holy office have been
exerted in a spirit of deepest human sympathy and tender solicitude.
Rev. Waller was born in Berwick, Pennsylvania, June 24, 1848, a son
of William Lindsley and Louisa (Bonham) Waller. His father was for forty
years a ruling elder in the New York Avenue Presbyterian church, of Wash-
ington, D. C. , in which city the son spent the greater part of his childhood
and youth. His preliminary education was supplemented by a course in
606 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Princeton College, in which institution he was graduated with the class of
1869. He afterward engaged in teaching for a year and then returning
to Princeton pursued a course in the Theological Seminary, in which he
was graduated in 1873. On the 19th of February of the following year
he was ordained to the ministry by the Presbytery of Philadelphia North;
and during his ministerial service of almost a quarter of a century he has
occupied but two regular pastorates. In 1876 he became pastor of the newly
organized Green Ridge Avenue Presbyterian church, in Scranton, Pennsyl-
vania, where he remained until 1882, when he accepted a call from the First
Presbyterian church, of New Rochelle. Here he has remained continuously
since as the beloved pastor of that congregation. The church is one of the
oldest in the Empire state. It practically had its origin at the time of the
Huguenot landing in Echo bay, in 1687. Like the Pilgrim Fathers, who had
landed at Plymouth nearly seventy years before, they brought their church
with them fully organized, and on the first Sunday which they spent in the
the New World their pastor. Rev. David de Bonrepos, called his peo-
ple about him in divine worship. Exiled from their beloved La Rochelle,
these French Protestants named the new town which they founded in Amer-
ica after their old home. In 1689 they erected their house of worship near
the present site of the church, but it was destroyed by fire in 1723. Poverty
and other difficulties often deprived them of a preacher, but the little band
clung together and secured a regular legal incorporation February 22, 1808.
All this time they were commonly known as the "French church," the official
record of their incorporation naming them the " Presbyterian church of New
Rochelle, formerly known by the name of the French church." In the early
part of the century the work languished, but in 1846 took a new start and
from that time the success of the church has been assured.
Such, in brief, is the history of the church over which Mr. Waller was
called to preside in 1882. During his ministry it has been in a most pros-
perous and flourishing condition. Its membership has been increased to four
hundred, and its field of usefulness has been greatly extended. In 1891 they
dismissed thirty-nine members to organize the Second Presbyterian church,
which had developed from a mission, which they had for some time con-
ducted, known as the North street chapel. The First Presbyterian is now
one of the strongest churches in the suburban presbytery of Westchester.
Many of its members are New York business men, and their gifts, tastes and
standards are those of a city church.
That Mr. Waller has been their pastor sixteen years is evidence of his
substantial ability as preacher and pastor. At this point it would be almost
a redundancy to enter into any series of statements as showing our subject
to be a man of broad intelligence and genuine public spirit, for these have
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 607
teen shadowed forth between the lines of this review. Strong in his indi-
viduality, he never lacks the courage of his convictions, but there are, as
dominating elements in this individuality, a lively human sympathy and an
abiding charity, which, as taken in connection with the sterling integrity and
honor of his character, have naturally gained to Mr. Waller the respect and
confidence of men of all denominations.
MINOT CROFOOT KELLOGG.
The career of him whose name heads this review illustrates most forci-
bly the possibilities that are open to a young man who possesses sterling
business qualifications. It proves that neither wealth nor social position nor
the assistance of influential friends is necessary to place him on the road to
success. It also proves that ambition, perseverance, steadfast purpose and
indefatigable industry, combined with sound business principles, will be
rewarded, and that true s'^ccess follows individual effort only. Mr. Kellogg
has gained recognition and prestige as one of the influential and representa-
tive business men residing in Mount Vernon, New York, and is to-day vice-
president of the Patterson Brothers Company of New York city.
He was born in New Canaan, Connecticut, December 17, 1834, a son of
Matthew and Electa (Crofoot) Kellogg. He traces his ancestry back to Dan-
iel Kellogg, who was born in 1638, and was an early settler of Norwalk, Con-
necticut, where he served as selectman in 1670 and died in 1713. He had
a son, Samuel Kellogg, born in 1673, and the line continues through the lat-
ter's son, Gideon Kellogg, born in 171 7. Isaac Kellogg, son of Gideon and
grandfather of Minot C. Kellogg, rendered able service to the cause of Ameri-
can independence as a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and his name appears
upon the pension rolls. Matthew Kellogg, the father, who was born Septem-
ber 22, 1782, was a prosperous farmer of New Canaan, Connecticut, and
lived to the advanced age of ninety years.
Upon the homestead farm Minot Crofoot Kellogg was reared to man-
hood, acquiring such an education as was then afforded by the town schools.
At the age of nineteen he went to New York city, where he entered the
employ of Patterson Brothers, hardware dealers, commencing as office-boy
and working his way forward, step by step, to the position of senior clerk,
and at length to an equal partnership in the business. In 1884 the concern
was incorporated under its present style and he was elected its vice-president.
He is president of the Co-operative Building Bank, of New York, a position
formerly occupied by the late Hon. James W. Wyatt, of Norwalk, and
among its directors are several prominent Connecticut men, including ex-Gov-
ernor Lounsbury, and the present lieutenant-governor of New York, Hon
608 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Timothy L. Woodruff. Mr. Kellogg is also vice-president of the Banli of
Mount Vernon (New York), a director of the East Chester Savings Bank and
of various other institutions, is one of the managers of the Mount Vernon
Hospital and president of the board of trustees of the First Methodist church
at that place. His business interests necessitated his removal from Con-
necticut in 1874, and since that year he has resided in Mount Vernon, New
York. The moral and religious institutions of the community in which he
lives have in him an earnest and a liberal supporter, and the only organiza-
tion in the metropolis with which he is said to affiliate is the Hardware Club.
He never acts except from honest motives, and in all his varied relations in
business affairs and in social life he has maintained a character and standing
that has impressed all with his sincere and manly purpose to treat others as-
he would have others treat him. Politically, he is a Republican.
On the 24th of September, 1863, Mr. Kellogg was united in marriage
with Miss Emily E., daughter of Charles E. and Abigail Ann Disbrow, of
Norwalk, Connecticut, and to them were born two sons and two daughters,
of whom the latter survive: Mildred C. , the older, married Samuel W.
Bertine, October 24, 1893, and has one son, Edwin Wilbur, born August i^
1897. The younger daughter, Cora L. , is now attending the Mount Vernon
high school. The wife and mother died February 8, 1889, and on January
7, 1 891, Mr. Kellogg wedded Miss Mary L. Tallmadge, daughter of the late
William H. Tallmadge, of New Canaan, Connecticut. The family is very
prominent socially.
JOHN H. BRETT.
That class of citizens in whom utilitarian America takes the most pride
comprises the representative business men who are still carrying out all the
oldest maxims of industry, perseverance and integrity. Such a man is Mr.
Brett, who has humbly and faithfully added his share to the prosperity of
the country and earned for himself a good name. "Although no sculptured
marble may arise to his memory, nor engraved stone bear record of his deeds,
as to many unworthy kings and potentates, yet will a remembrance of him
last as long as the land he honors."
The name "Brett" is of German origin; but the immigrant ancestor of
our subject, his grandfather, Patrick Brett, came from Tipperary, Ireland, in
1850, locating at Albany, New York, where he resided until his death in 1872,
prior to which event he had been retired from active business for many years.
James Brett, the father of John, was a native of Ireland, a truckman by occu-
pation, emigrated to America, landing at St. John, New Brunswick, in 1848,
soon afterward moved to Albany, New York, where he resided until 185 1, when
he came to Mount Vernon, and here he engaged in trucking and teaming until
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 609
his death in 1872. He was an exemplary citizen, a Democrat in his poHtical
faith, and in his rehgious faith an intelligent member of the Catholic church.
He was one of the founders of the local church (St. Matthew's) in Mount
Vernon, and he built the first church edifice for their worship. He married
Ann Harrington, and had the following named children: Patrick, deceased;
John H., our subject; Catherine; Patrick W., Mary and James. The mother
of these children departed this life in December, 1876, at the age of forty-
one years.
Mr. John H. Brett, whose name honors the introduction of this sketch,
was born August 4, 1854, at Mount Vernon, and left school at the age of
fourteen years to assist his father in business, and thus remained with him to
the time of his death: he was then eighteen years of age. Selling the teams
they had been using in their business, he became associated with Reynolds
Brothers in the grain and feed business, and remained with them two years;
next he was employed by Burr Davis' & Son in the livery business for five
years; and finally, in 1892, he engaged in the grain business on his own
account, at Mount Vernon, in which he has since continued, with the success
that is due industry and integrity. His place of business is at 5 and 7 Pros-
pect avenue.
Besides the daily routine of the work-a-day life by which he earns his
livelihood, he takes an interest in other business enterprises and in social,
religious and public affairs, being a director in the Mount Vernon Steamboat
Company, running boats between New York city and Mount Vernon; a mem-
ber of the board of trade; formerly a member of the Nogan Hose Company
for eight years; a member of the order of Knights of St. John of Malta,
Ancient Order of Foresters, Exempt Firemen's Association, the Catholic
Benevolent Legion, Society of St. Vincent de Paul (charitable institution), of
the Mount Vernon City Club, Mount Vernon Gun Club and of the Turn-
verein (a singing society). In politics he is a leading and active Democrat,
and for a long time has served as the receiver of taxes for the city of Mount
Vernon.
Early in the year 1884 he was united in marriage with Miss Margaret
Delaney, of Fordham, New York.
ROBERT F. WHITE.
Robert F. White is one of the prominent men of Purdy Station, where
he conducts a livery and store. He was born in Penryn, Cornwall, England,
December 8, 1850, and is the son of William Henry and Emma (Elliott)
White. His father went to Australia in 1854, where he died. He was a
mason and builder of skill. The wife and mother is now in her eighty-first
39
610 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
year and still resides in the home of her birth, Cornwall. She has had six
children, viz.: Daniel, of England; Reverend John, of Arvada, Colorado;
Mary, wife of Joseph Stephens, of Devonshire, England; Emma E., at
home with her mother; and Robert F. , our subject. The oldest son, William
H., is deceased.
Robert F. White graduated at the Wesleyan high school, and at the
age of twenty had also graduated at the Polytechnic School of Cornwall, as
engineer. He soon afterward came to this country and entered the employ
of John Roach, the famous shipbuilder of Philadelphia. Later he aban-
doned this work to take up the work of the ministry, in the Methodist Epis-
copal chutch, preaching in Greene and Schoharie counties, and for two years
in Westchester county. In 1884 he located in Purdy Station in his present
business, which is prospering even beyond his expectations.
In 1877 he was joined in matrimony to Miss Lola Josephine Smith, a
teacher from Charlotteville, Schoharie county, this state, and a daughter of
Henry Smith. They have five children: Anna, a highly successful and pop-
ular teacher; Emma Lola, Robert Henry, George Furneaux and Harrold
Leslie. Mr. White has given invaluable aid to the Republicans of this
county, "stumping " a portion of the state for Harrison and also for Gov-
ernor Morton. The issue discussed by him principally was the tariff, upon
which he is exceptionally well informed. He is a pleasant and forceful
speaker, bringing his audience into irresistible sympathy with the speaker,
and he is always sure of an appreciative hearing. He is now serving his
third term as justice of the peace, and has been on the school board eight
years. He has made two trips back to the mother country, — the first in
1884, and again in 1891. He is of a social disposition and has gathered a
large fund of pithy anecdotes which serve him a good purpose in election-
eering.
SIVORI SELLECK.
Sivori Selleck, one of the old and respected citizens of Pound Ridge
township, Westchester county, was born in this locality May 25, 1855. His
father, Sands Selleck, was born in this county May 16, 1816, and died Sep-
tember 8, 1897. In addition to farming he was extensively engaged in the
manufacture of baskets, and stood foremost in that line of industry in this
portion of the state at that time. He was very active in the Republican party,
and for a number of terms was a selectman of his township. Both he and
his estimable wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The
latter, whose maiden name was Betsey E. Austin, and who survives her hus-
band, was born in 1822.
Thomas Selleck, the paternal grandfather of the subject of this narra-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 611
live, was born in this county, and owned an extensive tract of land in Pound
Ridge township, this property having been in the family for several genera-
tions, handed down from father to son. A portion of the estate — fifty acres —
is comprised within the sixty-two-acre farm now owned by Sivori Selleck.
Thomas Selleck was a stone-mason and contractor, and among other public
works constructed by him, which at the time were considered very important
and splendid specimens of skill and engineering, was the Holly's Pond dam,
in Stamford, Connecticut. He was a stanch Republican, and was an influ-
ential member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife, whose name
before their marriage was Esther Jeames, was a native of the county, her
birth having occurred near the banks of the Hudson river.
Sivori Selleck is oije of eight children, the others being as follows: George
B., who enlisted in the Thirteenth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the
civil war and died in 1862, in New Orleans, when but twenty-one years of
age, from fever contracted in the service; Ann Eliza, wife of Levi Brush, of
New Canaan, Connecticut; Adeline, wife of Loomis Schofield, of Pound
Ridge township; Emma G. , Mrs. Charles Brown, of New Canaan; Titus S.,
a mechanic and resident of this township; Hannah E. , Mrs. John B. Weed,
■of New Canaan; Sands, Jr., residing at Pound Ridge, this county; and
Francis S., a grocer of New Canaan.
When he had grown to manhood the subject of this article went to Ada,
■Ohio, where he engaged in business for about one year, after which he
returned to his native county and purchased a tract of thirty acres in this
township. He dealt in ship timber in connection with his farming opera-
tions for some three years. Then selling out, he went to Stamford, Con-
necticut, where he made his home for some three years. In 1886 he came
back to the old homestead here, of which he became the owner by purchase.
He now is following in the footsteps of his father, cultivating the farm
and manufacturing baskets for the use of dealers in New York city.
His business in this line is a paying one and employment is afforded several
hands.
From his early manhood he has been active in the ranks of the Repub-
lican party, and has officiated in various minor positions of local importance.
He was excise commissioner for six years; for three consecutive terms has
been commissioner of highways and is now serving as secretary and treasurer
•of the board. In 1897 he was appointed postmaster at Scott's Corners, and
is still acting in that capacity. At numerous conventions of his party he has
been present as a delegate, and at all times he has been an interested fac-
tor in the success of the same. Fraternally, he is a member of the Odd Fel-
lows society, belonging to Wooster Lodge, No. 37, of New Canaan, Connect-
icut. He is also associated with Commodore Perry Council, No. 44, O. U.
612 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
A. M.; Oenoke Tent, K. O. T. M. ; Olive Branch Council, No. 8, Daughters
of Liberty, of New Canaan; and the Sons of Temperance. He has always
been an interested worker in the cause of total abstinence from intoxicating
liquor and tobacco.
He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of Scott's Corners,
being a steward and trustee and having been district steward of the district
including Pound Ridge township. For a long time he has been an influential
worker in the Sunday-school cause and is now the superintendent of the
school which is carried on in connection with his home church. His wife
and daughter, also, are great workers in the church and Sunday-school,
and the latter, Miss Lula B., who has a special talent for music, presides
at the organ. The marriage of Mr. Selleck and Miss Sarah Macdonald,
daughter of Daniel and Mary (Warren) Macdonald, was solemnized October
9, 1889. Mrs. Selleck was born in Brooklyn, New York, March i, 1862, and
by her marriage has become the mother of two children — Lulu B. and
George Thomas.
FRANK J. HOLLER.
Frank J. Holler, a popular and successful citizen of New Rochelle, is a
son of Lawrence and Louisa (Mangis) Holler, and was born in New Rochelle,
June 17, 1872. He was graduated from the public schools, and, after a
thorough commercial course at Packard's Business College, entered a large
wholesale house in New York city as bookkeeper. He made good progress
in the concern and severed his relations with it only when, at the age of nine-
teen, he was called home to assume charge of his fathers business, in conse-
quence of the latter illness. He gradually took into his hands the entire man-
agement of this important enterprise and has 'developed it far beyond the
expectations of its founder. It is an ice business and was established by the
elder Holler in 1858. The firm owns its plant, which is complete in every
respect, fully equipped in every way and equal to the demands of its growing
business. The capacity has been increased from time to time, and its present
manager has added to it materially by the purchase of new property. Mr.
Holler's success is the result largely of his own personal influence. He is a
genial and friendly man who is welcomed everywhere, and this is reinforced
by a capacity for affairs which would bring success to any project to which it
might be devoted.
Mr. Holler is a stanch Democrat, and wields a strong influence in
municipal affairs. As a heavy taxpayer, he is naturally interested in the
economical and honorable administration of all public offices. He has
served his fellow-citizens as inspector of elections, was elected auditor of
New Rochelle by a majority of 550 out of 1,296 votes, was triumphantly
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 613
elected alderman to represent the third ward, was delegate to the county
convention of his party in 1896, and has been otherwise prominent in the
management of the business of the city. So well and faithfully has he dis-
charged every duty to the public, that he is uniformly regarded as a model
official. He has never sought office, and has never accepted it, except when
convinced that the interests of the community demanded such a concession
on his part. He was secretary of the Democratic county committee for three
years, is a member of the Democratic Club, and of the Knights of Columbus,
and was formerly a member of Huguenot Engine Company. He has been
a lifelong member of St. Gabriel's Catholic church. Toward every organi-
sation with which he has been connected, he has always exercised a spirit of
helpfulness that has been more than liberal.
Lawrence Holler came, when six years old, from Germany with his
father and mother and the balance of their family, and located at New York,
where the family resided for eight years, and in 1846 came to New Rochelle,
where Lawrence Holler, Sr. , acquired considerable real estate, and the family
had a home in a substantial stone residence. This property descended in
part to Lawrence Holler, Jr., father of Frank J. Holler, and he has sold off
tracts of it as occasion has brought him opportunities for profitable trans-
actions. He has always taken an interest in local matters, was commis-
sioner of highways, and has held other offices. He is an exempt member of
Huguenot Engine Company, and has always been an influential Democrat
and a member of the Roman Catholic church. On May 29, 1867, he mar-
ried Louisa Mangis, a daughter of Melchor and Anna Elizabeth (Witterman)
Mangis, and she bore him three sons and four daughters, a,s follows: Law-
rence, who died aged one year; Catharine E., who died July 2, 1884; Henry,
and Amelia were twins, born March 10, 1871, and the former died July 17,
1871, and the latter died August 2, 1871; Frank J., our subject; Maria Wil-
helmina; and Anna Frances.
Three of Frank J. Holler's grandparents died at the age of eighty, and
his paternal grandfather at the age of ninety-one.
ELIAS BRYANT.
This honored veteran of the civil war and one of the most popular men
of Mount Pleasant township, Westchester county, was born on the 12th of
April, 1837, in Morris county. New Jersey, and is a worthy representative of
a good old family of that stq.te. His ancestors are supposed to have come to
this country from Holland, and the family name was originally Brount. His
paternal grandfather, Elias Bryant, was a native of New Jersey and was an
expert blacksmith. He married a Miss Corwin, and both died in that state.
614 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Elias Bryant, Jr., our subject's father, was born in 1800, in New Jersey,
and throughout Hfe followed the stone and brick mason's trade. He married
Miss Electa Meeker, a native of Morris county, and a representative of two
of the honored old families of that state, — the Meekers and Skinners, — eight-
een of their members being soldiers of the Revolutionary war. Fannie
Meeker, an aunt of our subject, is still living, aged ninety-four years. The
children born to Elias and Electa Bryant were Isaac, who died at the age of
eighteen years; Jacob, a resident of Scranton, Pennsylvania; Phoebe, wife of
Lewis Sturges, of Tarrytown, New York; Amada B., of Tarrytown; Eveline,
deceased wife of James L. Minnerly; and Elias, our subject. The mother
died at the age of forty-six years, and the father was again married, having
by the second union two children: Van Cleave D., deceased; and Frederick,
a resident of West Virginia. The father was called to his final rest at the
age of seventy-one years. He was a Democrat in politics and a Presbyterian
in religious faith.
The subject of this review was reared and educated in his native state,
where he remained until coming to Tarrytown, Westchester county, in 1857.
Here he worked at the painter's trade until his enlistment in the Union army.
On the 7th of January, 1 864, he joined the Seventh New York Heavy Artillery,
and with Grant's command participated in the battles of Spottsylvania, the
Wilderness, Cold Harbor and Petersburg. He was wounded in the left leg
by a gunshot and gangrene set in, necessitating the use of crutches for eleven
months, and for nine months was confined in a hospital at Washington, D. C,
being honorably discharged April 13, 1865. He was at Ford's theater on the
night of President Lincoln's assassination and witnessed the shooting by
Wilkes Booth.
On his return home Mr. Bryant resumed work at his trade, and was
also engaged in the insurance business for several years in connection with
farming. In 1867 he located upon his present farm, known as Maple Shade,
where he has a most beautiful rural home, the culture and artistic taste of its
occupants being reflected in its appointments, while a gracious hospitality
adds a charm to its material comforts. It is conveniently located only three
miles from Tarrytown and one mile from Pocantico Hills.
In 1867 Mr. Bryant was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Ryder,
a daughter of David and Julia (Van Cortland) Ryder. They have one son,
W. Irving, who was born, reared and educated in Westchester county, and
married Miss Margaret Reeves, a native of Tarrytown, and a daughter of
Rev. Reeves, who was a chaplain in the Confederate service during the civil
war. They have one child, a son, born January 15, 1899. In his political
affiliations Mr. Bryant is a Democrat, and he has been honored with several
local offices, including those of commissioner and collector. He is a pleasant,
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 615
genial gentleman, who makes many friends, and is an honored member of
Ward B. Burnett Post, No. 496, G. A. R.
The old home where they are now living was confiscated during the
Revolutionary war, and after that was bought by a Mr. Forshay, who
divided it between his sons. Schuyler Forshay was one of these. Major
Andre passed the old home just before he was captured.
FRANCIS J. STEVENS.
Mr. Stevens is a wide-awake, energetic business man, the present pro-
prietor of the Boutonville Mills, and also owns and manages the old Stevens
homestead, on which he was born, November 13, 1858. His father, John
D. Stevens, and his grandfather, who also bore the name of John, were
both millers, and in following their chosen calling met with a fair degree of
success. The latter married Miss Polly Delavan, who was of French
descent, and both died in Westchester county. Here John D. Stevens grew
to manhood and learned the miller's trade of his father. He was twice
married, his first wife being by maiden name Harriet Scofield, by which
union there was one daughter, now Mrs. Harriet Mead, of Connecticut.
His second union was with Miss Frances Scofield, a daughter of Samuel
Scofield, and she died during the infancy of our subject. The father, who
was always a stanch supporter of the Democracy, departed this life October
13. 1895, at the age of seventy-one years. During his boyhood and youth
Francis J. Stevens remained at home and early became familiar with the
milling business by aiding his father; and after the death of the latter he
took charge of the mill, which is one of the best in the county. He also
came into possession of the old homestead, a valuable and well improved
farm, which he is now successfully managing in connection with the mill.
His management of the estate is marked by the scientific knowledge and
skill which characterize the modern business man.
In 1884 Mr. Stevens was united in marriage with Miss Julia P. Grurn-
mond, a daughter of Samuel and Angeline (Westcott) Grummond, and one
child blesses this union, Emma M., who was born February 26, 1892. Mrs.
Stevens was born on the old Grummond homestead near Lake Wacabuc and
near the north and south line of Salem township. Her ancestry came to this
county many years ago. Her grandfather, Samuel Grummond, Sr. , carried
on business here for a number of years. He married Bethenia Denton, of
Greenwich, Connecticut. Her father died in 1894, and her mother is still
living, now seventy-five years of age, at Lewisboro. They had three chil-
dren: Mary, Mrs. Alfred Hawley, deceased, of Salem Center; Bethenia, wife
of George Silkman, of Cross River; and Mrs. Stevens, the youngest. In poll-
616 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
tics her father was a Republican, and by occupation a stone-mason. In 1835
Samuel Grummond carried on a large business at the foot of Long Pond
mountain, on the south side, on the road leading from South Salem meeting-
house to North Salem. Mr. Grummond died in 1834.
Mr. Stevens, the subject of this sketch, served as overseer of Pound
Ridge township for five years, and is recognized as one of the most useful
citizens of the community. His father also took a prominent part in public
affairs, serving as postmaster of Boutonville for several years and as com-
missioner for some time. He was rather a large man, weighing one hundred
and eighty pounds, and was a genial, pleasant gentleman, who made many
friends.
JAMES A. HUNTINGTON.
James Arthur Huntington, a prominent young business man of New
Rochelle, is a son. of James P. and Mary E. (Hudson) Huntington and was
born at New Rochelle, November 2, 1868. The family of Huntington is of
English origin.
Mr. Huntington's paternal grandfather, James Pitcher Huntington, a
native of New Rochelle, was a gentleman of the old school, a man of wealth
and influence, who served his country in the war of 18 12-14, was a justice
of the peace continuously for twenty-five or thirty years, and whose old
homestead, on the Boston turnpike at the intersection of Main street, was
one of the best known places round about New Rochelle. He had children
named: Jane, Ann, Mary, Grace, Thomas, Isaac, Lawrence D. and James P.
Lawrence D, Huntington lives on his father's place, where these children
were born, and is a well known broker, operating in Wall street. New York
city. He has been a member of the state assembly, was three times elected
president of the village of New Rochelle (1866-7, 1873-4, 1 889-90), was
president of the New York State Fish Commission and is in a general way
active in public and political affairs.
James P. Huntington, father of James Arthur Huntington, was educated
in the public schools of New Rochelle and while yet young learned the trade
of wheelwright, for he inclined to mechanical rather than mercantile pur-
suits, and wheelwrights almost invariably did well in those days, before cheap
factory wagons and carriages had been introduced. He went to California,—
was a real "Forty-niner," for it was in 1849 that he went,— but did not
remain long. Returning east, he located at Tarrytown, but thirty years ago
came back to New Rochelle. He was the owner of two sloops which did
quite a business in a local way between Harlem and New Rochelle until sup-
planted by the superior transportation facilities of the era of railroads, and
he became popularly known as "Captain" Huntington. This later enter-
yT^u^^^t^t^^^---^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 617
prise absorbed his energies for ten or twelve years and it was quite a success.
He took an interest in the village fire department and became an exempt
member of Enterprise Hook and Ladder Company. He married Mary E.
Hudson; their children were as follows: Thomas, Jennie (Mrs. Alonzo
Guest), Grace and John (deceased), James Arthur and Mary E.
James Arthur Huntington was educated in the public schools of New
Rochelle and was duly graduated at the age of sixteen. He immediately
entered the service of the Fifth Avenue Bank, of New York city, and was for
six years one of its clerks and rose to the position of ladies' receiving teller.
He was offered and accepted the position of teller of the Bank of New
Rochelle and has held it for eight years.
He takes an intelligent and practically helpful interest in all public affairs
and is an active politician of pronounced Democratic proclivities. In 1898
he was nominated for the office of village trustee by his own party and
endorsed by the Republicans, and was elected by the united vote of the two
parties, which was an unequivocal tribute to his personal popularity. In
1899 he was nominated treasurer of New Rochelle and elected by a majority
of one hundred and fifty-three, running considerably ahead of his ticket. He
is a member of numerous popular societies and organizations, including the
Royal Arcanum and the New Rochelle Rowing Club. He has been active in
a business way in several directions and always usefully and successfully.
He was one of the organizers and is a director of the New Rochelle Savings
& Investment Association. He has been a delegate to a number of political
and other conventions, and his influence has always been potent for the
enhancement of the best interests of New Rochelle.
November 14, 1894, James A. Huntington married Miss Carrie Theo-
dora Pine, daughter of Theodore Pine, and they have two sons, James Ken-
neth and Willard Davenport. Theodore Pine was clerk of New Rochelle in
1866-8, and was register of Westchester county several terms, being a promi-
nent Democrat. He died some years since, sincerely regretted by a large
circle of acquaintances, leaving two daughters and a son. His father, John
Pine, was also active politically in his day, and was a trustee of the village
of New Rochelle and served the public ably and faithfully in other official
positions.
ALBERT S. JENKS.
One of the prominent builders of the city of Mount Vernon, in every
sense of the word, is the gentleman whose name honors the caption of this
article. He was born in New York city, in 1859, a son of Andrew M. and
Sarah A. (Kellam) Jenks. (The name " Jenks " is of Knickerbocker Dutch
origin.) His paternal grandfather and other early ancestors were natives of
618 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
New England. His father was born in Armenia, New York, about 1827,.
received a common-school education, and was a carpenter and builder by
occupation, erecting many buildings of his own, for speculation, as well as
for others. At first he was in business in the south, and came to Dutchess
county, this state, and in 1882 to Mount Vernon, where he still resides and
where he has been engaged in contracting until recently.
In public affairs he has a wide influence, being an enthusiastic Democrat
and an efficient worker for the advancement of the principles of his party.
He has had nine children, as follows: Andrew M., Jr., Francis, Albert S.
(subject of this sketch), Julia P. Holmes, deceased, Sarah A. Harrocks, Alvira
Blair (widow), MoUie, Etta Hinkelbein, and Alonzo, who is deceased. Both
the parents are still living, the father at the age of seventy- one years and the
mother at the age of sixty-five.
The maternal grandfather of our subject and his mother were both of
English birth and reared on Long Island. His maternal great-grandfather
was from England, was engaged in speculative business at Babylon, on Long
Island, and made a great deal of money, owned a farm and much other val-
uable propertj', raised considerable produce and was also a produce commis-
sion merchant.
Mr. Albert S. Jenks, our subject, received his education in the public
schools of Hyde Park, left school at the age of fourteen years, remaining with
his father a short time to learn the carpenter's trade, then worked as a jour-
neyman for several years. Subsequently he was a keeper and foreman of
the stock-room in the stove-manufacturing department of Perry & Company,
at Sing Sing, New York, for two years. Afterward he was engaged again at
his trade for two years in the south, and then returned to Mount Vernon,
where he has since resided. In 1887 he became associated with Carl Will-
iam Plume, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume, forming the firm
of Jenks & Plume, engaged in general building and contracting. They have
in their employment from thirty-five to forty men on an average, — sometimes
as many as sixty-five. In a single year they have done work amounting to a
hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Jenks is the bookkeeper, financier and execu-
tive manager of the business, while Mr. Plume is the superintending architect.
They also speculate to some extent in real estate, buying lots, improving
them, building upon them and selling them, and in this business they have
been signally successful. They are indeed the leading carpenter contractors
in the city.
Mr. Jenks is also a lover of fine horses, having usually in his stables-
some of the fastest horses to be seen on the boulevards of the city.
In public affairs he is an active and leading Democrat. For two years —
1892-3 — he was a member of the board of aldermen, and in the spring of
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 619'
1 897 he was elected supervisor, in which position he is at present serving, with
acceptability. His shrewd insight into the methods of human nature and
his reliability and integrity well qualify him for the heaviest responsibilities
of higher official station. He is a member of Hiawatha Lodge, No. 434, F.
& A. M. ; was president of the Mount Vernon Driving Club three years;
attends the Universalist church, and was formerly a member of the old Eagle
Fire Company at Hyde Park.
December 18, 1891, he was united in matrimony with Miss Margaretta
Cannon, a daughter of Charles Cannon, and he has three children, — Ger-
trude, Albert, Jr., and Floyd.
WILLIAM HUMPHREY SERGEANT.
This gentlemen, one of the live business men of Mount Vernon, was
born March 22, 1865, at Hull, Yorkshire, England, a son of George and Ann
(Carr) Sergeant. Thomas Sergeant, the grandfather of our subject, was a
native of Brigg, Lincolnshire, was a farmer and also a mason, taking con-
tracts for building. He married a lady whose parents were engaged in
theatrical plays, and they left her in England on a tour to the United States,
and while thus separated from her parents she was married. George Ser-
geant, the father of our subject, was born in Lincolnshire, England, and
during his active business life was a mason and builder, taking contracts and.
doing an extensive amount of work. Both the parents are living, in England,
the father at the age of seventy-one years and the mother about sixty-five.
He is a member of the Episcopalian church. They have had ten children,
namely: Charles Thomas, Arthur Henry, George E., deceased, Betsey Jane,
Frederick J., William H., Charlotte Mary, Herbert, deceased, Ann, and
Sarah Hildred, also deceased.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the public schools of Hull,
and also at a private school there, and at the age of fourteen he left school
and began to learn the mason's trade, of his father, and followed it as a
journeyman for many years, both in England and in this country. He
arrived in America June 28, 1883 or 1884, locating in New York city, where
he was employed at his trade for six years. In i ?9i he came to Mount Ver-
non and continued to work as a journeyman for a time, and then engaged in
contracting for building on his own account, in 1895, in company with his
brother Arthur H., under the firm name of Sergeant Brothers, which rela-
tion has since been continued. The scope of their business comprises all
kinds of building and masonry. Among the more important structures
erected by them are: The new city hall, known as the Lucas building, the:
,620 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
gas and water buildings, Lenox laundry and the electric-light station, besides
a hundred smaller buildings.
In his political principles Mr. Sergeant is a Republican, but he has never
been an office-seeker or a politician.
He was married October 3, 1895, to Miss Margaret Sharp, a daughter
of Robert Sharp, and they have three children, — Winifred R., Marguerite
I. and Jane Victoria.
ROBERT C. ARCHER.
Robert Cromwell Archer, of New Rochelle, is a son of Benjamin and
Eliza (Cromwell) Archer, and was born in the town of West Farms, July 2,
1838. William Archer, his paternal grandfather, lived in Fordham, New
York, as did also his brother Samuel. His property descended to his two
sons. The Archers formerly owned much land now included in the city of
New York. William Archer married Sarah Berrien and they had eight chil-
dren: Benjamin, Eliza Cromwell, Catharine St. John, Andrew D., William,
LaFayette, Mary Mapes and Rachel Mapes, all of whom are dead. He died
at the age of eighty-six, and his wife at the age of eighty-four.
Benjamin Archer was born in Fordham and began life there as a farm-
er, remaining thus engaged for a number of years. The latter part of his
life was spent at Scarsdale, where he had one hundred and twenty-six acres
of valuable land. He belonged to the militia, was a member and elder and
a liberal supporter of the Reformed church and was a Democrat in politics,
being in every way an estimable and influential citizen. He married Eliza
Cromwell and had eight children who grew to maturity and one who died in
infancy, a brief record concerning them being as follows: William H., now
deceased; John Cromwell, who is a well-to-do farmer in Connecticut; Susan,
who married James Strong and lives at Stamford, Connecticut; Robert Crom-
well; Benjamin Harrison, a resident of the town of Yonkers; Sarah, who did
not marry; Emily, who became the wife of Gilbert Britt; Fordham; and
Oliver Cromwell, who died at the age of four and a half years.
Robert Cromwell Archer was educated at public schools as chance
offered, for it was necessary for him to devote much of his time as a boy to
work on his father's farm, and he attended school mostly during the winter
months. After his father's death he continued farming and gave much atten-
tion to dairying. In this connection he had one rather discouraging experi-
ence. He had seventeen cows and all of them became ill with pleuro-
pneumonia and were killed by order of the board of health of the state of
New York. The loss to Mr. Archer was a heavy one, but he looked upon it
philosophically and set himself resolutely to the task of repairing it. He
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 621
could not continue dairying, and thus turned iiis attention to fruit-growing-
and market-gardening, in which he achieved a noteworthy success.
His interest in the pubhc affairs of his town and of New Rochelle has
always been great, and he has been an influential factor in shaping the
course of local political events. He was commissioner of highways three
years, has several times been elected as a member of the board of education
and served as its chairman. His own early education he supplemented by a
thorough course of reading, but he believes in systematic education and has
an abiding faith in the public school as the greatest of all helps to civilization
and the advancement of the human race. For fourteen years he has been a
member of the vestry of St. John's church, Protestant Episcopal, and has
served two years as its junior warden and two terms as its senior warden.
He has been superintendent of the Sunday-school of this church for the
long period of seventeen years, for he believes that secular education should
go hand-in-hand with judicious religious instruction, and that a truly great
nation must grow in greatness spiritually as well as intellectually.
Mr. Archer was married in 1861 to Mary A. Van Wart, a daughter of
John and Deborah (Griffin) Van Wart, her father, who is now deceased,
having been at one time a well known contractor of Westchester county.
He was a descendant of Isaac Van Wart. Mr. and Mrs. Archer had four
children: Carrie, who married Charles W. Francis, a successful grocer of
New Rochelle, and has a daughter named Laura Naomi; Laura, who lives
with her parents; Lucy, of New Rochelle; and Eliza, wife of Frank Percy, a
leading milk dealer of New Rochelle. John Van Wart was twice married, —
first to Debora Griffin, mother of Mrs. Archer, and after her death to Julia
Schofield, of Connecticut. Mr. Archer's maternal grandfather, Oliver Crom-
well, was born at Morrisiana, New York, and was a descendant of Oliver
Cromwell, of historic fame. He had children named Oliver, Richard, Jere-
miah, John, Phcebe, Mary, Eliza and Robert. Eliza was Mr. Archer's
mother.
Mrs. Mary A. (Van Wart) Archer died May 22, 1898. She was a con-
sistent member of St. John's Episcopal church, Wilmot parish, at New Ro-
chelle, and was esteemed and loved by all who knew her.
WILLIAM LAKE.
Wilham Lake, a progressive business man of Yonkers, was born June
29, i860, in Poughkeepsie, New York, and comes from sturdy old New
England stock. His father, Charles Lake, was born at Danbury, Connecti-
cut, in 18 1 8, and departed this life at the age of sixty-five years. He
was a resident of Poughkeepsie for many years, was a painter by trade, and
^22 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
met with success in his chosen field of labor. The mother of our subject
passed away in 1885. They were the parents of five children, namely:
Adson, Charles, William, Pierson and Minnie Ranson. All save Pierson
are residents of Yonkers at the present time.
William Lake obtained a liberal education in the public schools of his
native town, and when he was seventeen years of age he reached the goal of
his ambition at that time, for he was accepted as a cadet in the United
States Navy. September 8, 1877, he enlisted in the government service and
entered upon the four years of active work which this implied. He was
assigned to the Minnesota, on which he remained until the 21st of the follow-
ing March, when he was drafted to serve on the United States dispatch boat,
Tallapoosa, and visited all of the navy yards on the Atlantic coast. Later,
he was on the Franklin for some time, at Norfolk, Virginia. The most
eventful part of his life in the navy was yet to come, for he was transferred
to the Ticonderoga, commanded by Commodore Shufeldt, which vessel sailed
under instructions of the United States commerce commission to visit many
of the important ports and countries of the world, particularly in Asia, for
the purpose of adjusting numerous small complications then existing, and to
further our commercial interests on distant shores. They sailed from Ports-
mouth, New Hampshire, November 20, 1878, followed the coast of this
country as far south as Hampton Roads, and then headed for the western
shores of Africa, touching at Sierra Leone and Saint Paul de Loando, thence
going to St. Helena island, to Cape Town, past Madagascar and the
Comoro islands, and stopping at numerous ports in Turkey in Asia, Arabia,
Persia and India, and from Bombay sailing to Ceylon and the Islands in the
Indian ocean. Continuing this extended journey, the ship visited the Philip-
pine islands, and made a special call at Manila, after which they crossed the
Pacific to Honolulu, in the Sandwich islands, and on the 8th of November,
1880, arrived in the harbor at San Francisco. After sustaining thorough
repairs at the Mare Island navy yards, the gallant ship once more started on her
long journey around the world, rounded Cape Horn, stopped at Rio Janeiro,
and reached New York city August 23, 1881. The brief notes given above
were culled from the extremely interesting and comprehensive diary which
Mr. Lake kept during his travels. In this journal are many valuable and
entertaining facts in regard to the customs and habits of the peoples of those
far-away countries, and outlines of the products and industries of the various
lands. The general style, amusing incident, and breezy commentary of the
observing and youthful traveler reflect great credit upon him as a writer and
keen and sympathetic member of the human family.
Though he had thoroughly enjoyed much of his novel experience in the
•navy, Mr. Lake was not averse to entering upon another sphere of action
S/Awr^j^ .:^ykrj^e.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 623
at the expiration of his term of service. He next engaged in the carpenter-
ing trade, and in 1885 he came to Yonkers. Here he has been occupied in
building and contracting for the past nine years, and has met with gratifying
success. During 1884-5 he was employed in the construction of water
tanks and stations at various points between Buffalo and Poughkeepsie, along
the West Shore Railroad.
The marriage of Mr. Lake and Miss Mary Jane Burke, of Utica, New
York, was celebrated in February, 1884. They have four children, namely:
Charles, Mabel, Nathan and Hattie.
Though his father was a Republican, Mr. Lake is a strong Democrat, and
has acted on the general local committee of his party. At one time he was
the candidate for the office of supervisor, from his ward, the fifth, which is
the strongest Republican ward in the city, and as a matter of course he was
defeated. He is a member of the Carpenters' Union and of the Army &
Navy Veterans Association, and has hosts of sincere friends here and else-
where.
ABRAM BARE.
New York is pre-eminently a dairy state, and her butter and cheese are
in demand, not only in all parts of our own land, but abroad as well. This
industry has assumed mammoth proportions in this state, and large quanti-
ties of the dairy product is shipped annually to all parts of the country.
Probably in no state in the Union are so great pains taken as here to have
the surroundings of the dairy and its adjuncts what they should be. One of
these model dairies is to be found on the farm of Abram Bare, the gentleman
.whose name appears at the head of this sketch, and in no part of Westchester
county can be found more complete or convenient arrangements for the care
of stock and milk than he has provided on his farm in the town of Greenburg,
this county. He has been engaged in this business for years and reduced it
to a system that seems hard to improve upon.
He is a son of William and Catherine (Acker) Bare, and was born Octo-
ber 22, 1837, in the town of Greenburg, as were his parents and maternal
grandparents. His grandfather, Edward Bare, was a native of England who
came to this country before the war of the Revolution and did valiant service
in the struggle for independence. He was twice married, first to Miss Horn,
and secondly to Catherine Bond, who belonged to one of the old New Jersey
families. William Bare, the father, was born in the town of Greenburg in
1787, was a prominent and substantial farmer of that time, and died in 1856.
His wife, nee Catherine Acker, was a native of the same place as was her
father, Abraham Acker, who was here reared to manhood and settled upon
a farm at Hall's Corners. To WilHam and Catherine Bare were born four
624 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
children, viz.: Margaret, wife of John Buckhout, of Greenburg; Isaac H.,
who died in 1895; Susan, wife of John Acker; and Abram, our subject.
Abram Bare spent the greater portion of his childhood in Hall's Corners,
where he was a student of the district school until his fifteenth year. After
that time he worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-one, when he
began for himself in the field of husbandry. During his twenty-eighth year
he was united in marriage to Miss Phoebe Ann McFadden, a daughter of
John and Ophelia (Hustes) McFadden, the former an early settler of the
town of Greenburg and the latter a native of Mt. Pleasant. They have eight
children, viz.: Edward I., of Yonkers; Sidney, of White Plains; Mary,
wife of Norman Lander; Hattie, wife of William Uptegrove; and Florence,
Abraham, Howard and William, all at home. After his marriage Mr. Bare
settled upon the homestead of his father-in-law, John McFadden, and there
has since conducted a general farming and dairying business. In 1876 he
purchased the farm he now owns and operates. This farm consists of one
hundred and eighty acres of land under a high state of cultivation, and he
has still further added to its attractive appearance by the erection of large,
commodious hay and cow barns, which are of modern construction and
enable him to care for his herd of fifty or eighty-five cows with the least pos-
sible trouble. He has a model dairy, the finest in the town. Mr. Bare is a
Republican and has served one term as school trustee. He is a man of ster-
ling character and occupies a high place in the regards of his neighbors.
LEMUEL MONMOUTH HART.
Mr. Hart is a retired farmer of Hartsdale, New York, in which state he-
was born in December, 1830, in the town of Greenburg, Westchester county,
on the old Hart homestead. The family were originally from England, and
the first settlement made by any of them in this country was on Long Island,
whence they moved to Westchester county, to what afterward became the
town of Greenburg. The great-grandfather, Joseph Hart, settled on a por-
tion of the grant of land which extended from the Harlem to the Croton
river, the same having been originally owned by Frederick Phillips. After
the Revolution this land was confiscated and sold to the squatters who had
the first right to it. The maternal great-grandfather had also settled on a
part of this grant of land. Monmouth Hart married, and his death occurred
in 1832. Among his children was Monmouth Hart, the grandfather of our
subject, who was born -in Westchester county and was a pioneer farmer.
He had a family of eight children. One of them, Monmouth, the father of
our subject, born and reared on the old homestead, married Julia Ann Tomp-
kins, a daughter of Thomas Tompkins, who belongs to one of Westchester's
CP^S^^-^-*^^^ ^ (Pt^u,^-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 625
oldest families. She departed this life in 1893, leaving a wide circle of friends
to mourn her loss. The father followed the occupation of a farmer, and was
a very prosperous one. He was a Democrat in his political beliefs, but never
suffered his name to appear in connection with candidacy for any office,
although for a number of years he was captain of the state militia, to which
he was deeply attached. His death occurred in 1845. He was a member of
and liberal contributor to the Reformed church. Three sons were left to bat-
tle with the world, — Joseph F. , who is a resident of Illinois; and Thomas T,
and Lemuel M., of Hartsdale.
Lemuel M. Hart was reared on his father's farm, learning well the
routine of farm work. He received a good common-school education, and
later attended a private school. He was about fifteen years old when his
father died, and he at once took charge of the business, managing it most
successfully with his brother Thomas, until 1894, when they disposed of the
homestead and retired to Hartsdale. His success in farming is due largely
to the fact that he worked intelligently and adopted modern methods when
they were of actual service to him. His industry and thrift have enabled
him to retire from the active duties of life and spend its evening in a manner
more suited to advancing age.
HENRY SAMPSON CLARKE.
"Honesty," says Bovee, "is said to be the first step toward greatness;
but the proverb fails to state the case strong enough: honesty is not only the
first step toward greatness, it is greatness itself." A reputation for honesty
leads to a good position, and this may be said to be at least one step toward
the desired goal of life. From almost every sketch in this work we can draw
some lessons of business, or of encouragement, or of noble aspiration; and
with these motives we present a brief outline of the life career of Mr. Clarke,
who is a teller in the Lincoln National Bank of New York city and the presi-
dent of the village of New Rochelle.
Mr. Clarke is a native of New York city, born in April, 1862, the son
of Hugh and Margaret (Sampson) Clarke. His father also was a native of
that city, grew to manhood there and was sergeant of the New York police
department, with which he was connected for a period of thirty-five years.
He died in 1896, in his fifty-eighth year. In politics he was a pronounced
Democrat. Our subject's mother, also a native of New York city, was a
daughter of Henry Sampson, who was a native of England.
Mr. H. S. Clarke was reared in New York city, receiving his early
education in the public schools, and he commenced his business career in the
capacity of a clerk in a law office; next he was employed in a marine-insur-
40
626 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
ance office; and in 1882 he entered the service of the Lincoln National Bank
as paying teller, which responsible position he has ably filled to the pres-
ent time.
In state and national matters he is a stanch Republican, and in local
■matters independent. He has served as trustee of the school district and as
secretary of the board of education of New Rochelle for seven years; was also
secretary of the school board for some time, and in 1892 was elected presi-
dent of the village for the term of two years, and by re-election is still
• serving.
In 1882 he was united in marriage with Miss Lizzie M. Oxner, a daugh-
•ter of John D. Oxner, who was the president of the Houston, West Street &
-Pavonia Ferry Railroad Company, of New York city. Mr. and Mrs. Clarke
have three children, — Mabel C, Marietta and John Oxner. The fine resi-
dence of the family at 123 Woodland avenue, New Rochelle, was built in
1897, and is located in a fine residence district. The former home was at
the corner of Elm street and Leland avenue. In fraternal matters Mr.
Clarke is a member of Huguenot Lodge, No. 46, F. & A. M., and in religion
both himself and wife are members of Trinity Episcopal church in New
JRochelle.
CARL WILHELM PLUME.
This estimable citizen of Mount Vernon was born May 13, 1857, in
Goeritz, Germany, a son of Martin Frederick and Mary (Schmidt) Plume,
his father having been a farmer by occupation. He received his education
in the public schools of his native land, leaving them at the age of fifteen to
learn the cabinet-maker's trade. He was three years in the German army,
as a member of the Sixty-sixth Infantry Regiment. He emigrated to Amer-
ica in 1883, arriving June nth, and continued to work at his trade and at
carpentering in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1885 he came to Mount Vernon and
was employed as a journeyman at his trade until some time in 1887. when
he engaged in the business of contracting and building in partnership with
Albert S. Jenks (see sketch of this gentleman), forming the firm of Jenks &
Plume. This company erected the post-office building and the electric-light
works, and over a hundred other structures in and about the city, employ-
ing on average about fifty men; and they now have on hand contracts aggre-
gating thirty thousand dollars; but they also build many houses of their own
for sale on speculation. Mr. Jenks is the office manager, while Mr. Plume
is the superintending architect.
In his political principles Mr. Plume is a Democrat, and he is a member
of Hiawatha Lodge, No. 434, F. &A. M., of Golden Rod Council, No. 1316,
Royal Arcanum, and of the Knights of Malta, of Mount Vernon.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 627
February 22, 1886, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Treto,
daughter of John Treto, of Germany, and they have had five sons, — William,
Albert V., George, Henry and Frederick. The last two are deceased. The
family attend the Lutheran church, of which Mr. Plume is a member.
FRANK P. COXE.
The well known town clerk of Harrison township, and a prominent
grocer of Harrison station, Mr. Frank P. Coxe, has a rather remarkable
record, as he started out to make his own way in the world at the age of
nine years. The spirit of self-help is the source of all genuine worth in the
individual, and is the means of bringing to man success when he has no
advantages of wealth or influence to aid him. It illustrates in no uncertain
manner what it is possible to accomplish when perseverance and determina-
tion form the keynote of a man's life. Depending on his own resources,
looking for no outside aid or support, he has risen from comparative obscur-
ity to a place of prominence both in the commercial and political world.
Mr. Coxe was born in New York city, July 4, i860, amid the booming
of cannons and the noise of fire-crackers on our great national holiday. His
father, Christopher Coxe, who was a contractor and builder by occupation,
was of English extraction and of good old Quaker stock, while his mother,
who bore the maiden name of Margaret Agatha Fitz, was of Irish and Ger-
man descent. As previously stated, our subject began earning his own live-
lihood at the age of nine years, and his educational privileges were therefore
limited; but by practical experience in the business world he has become a
well-informed man, especially on the leading questions and issues of the day.
He was interested in railroading for a time, was collector for a business firm,
and later was in the grocery and real-estate business in New York. He was
always faithful to his employers' interests, and his services gave the utmost
satisfaction to all concerned. Since 1892 he has been a resident of West-
chester county, and successfully carried on business as a grocer at Harrison,
where he soon succeeded in building up a good trade.
At the age of twenty-four years Mr. Coxe was united in marriage with
Miss Jennie Seymour, of New York city, where she was reared and educated,
and they have become the parents of three children, namely: Walter, Frank
and Bertha.
Mr. Coxe is one of the most progressive and enterprising citizens of his
community, and gives a liberal support to all measures which he believes
calculated to prove of public benefit. He was one of the promoters and
organizers of the Harrison Fire Company, was one of those who called its
first meetings, and from the beginning has been officially connected with the
628 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
company; has been an efficient member of the school board, and emphasizes
the necessity of improving the highways. Being careful and methodical in
his way of doing business, he is now serving his third term as town clerk of
Harrison township, the duties of which position he discharges with credit to
himself and to the entire satisfaction of the general public. Politically he is
a stalwart Democrat, and, though loyal to his party, at local elections he
always supports the man whom he believes best qualified to fill the office,
regardless of party ties. Socially he is a member of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows.
THOMAS BREWER.
Thomas Brewer is one of the leading citizens of the village of Mamaro-
neck. For many years he was prominently connected with its business
interest, but is now living retired in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former
toil. He was born on the 12th of April, 1832, in St. Columb, Cornwall,
England, his parents being Thomas and Mary (Tink) Brewer. His father
was an agriculturist and Thomas spent his early boyhood days upon the
home farm, but while still quite young was apprenticed to the saddlery and
harness-making trade, serving for the regular term of seven years. During
that time he thoroughly mastered the business in every detail and became a
proficient workman. At the age of twenty-one he was married and imme-
diately afterward came to America, making the voyage on a sailing vessel
which reached its destination after seven weeks spent upon the briny deep.
Mr. Brewer located in New Rochelle, New York, his place of settlement
being influenced by the fact that it was the home of an old acquaintance,
Joseph Harvey. There he engaged in the manufacture of harness and sad-
dlery for a number of years, and in 1854 came to Mamaroneck, where he
" carried on business along the same line for thirty years. Success attended
his enterprise and well directed efforts, and his patronage constantly increas-
ing he derived from his business an excellent income. He is now living
retired, save that he is financially interested in the Union Savings Bank, and
holds the office of vice-president in that institution.
In his political affiliations Mr. Brewer has always been a stalwart Repub-
lican and takes an active interest in local politics, but has never been an
aspirant for office. For nineteen years he has been a member of the Royal
Arcanum and in business and social circles he is held in the highest regard.
He married Miss Ann Grigg, who was born and reared in Cornwall, England,
and departed this life January 6, 1894.
Reuben G. Brewer, their only child, was born in New Rochelle, New
York, on the 22d of July, 1853. He acquired his literary education in the
schools of Westchester county and supplemented it by a commercial course
^Wa^ (Wv\'-e,-v—
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 629
in Bryant & Stratton's Business College, of New York city. At the time he
completed his education, George I. Seney was president of the Metropolitan
Bank, of New York. Going to Mr. Brewer's father, he told him he wished
to take his son into the bank, and thus it was that at the age of sixteen years
Reuben G. Brewer entered upon his career as a banker. His determination
to master the business, his fidelity and efficiency, won him promotion to the
rank of assistant teller, in which capacity he was serving at the time of the
failure of the bank, in 1883. He then secured a position as bookkeeper in
the Pacific Bank, at No. 470 Broadway, New York, where he remained until
1887, when he returned to his old home in Mamaroneck and became one of
the organizers of the Union Savings Bank, of which he was made treasurer.
In 1 89 1 he aided in the organization of the Mamaroneck Bank and has con-
tinuously filled the position of cashier, in addition to his duties as treasurer
in the other bank. Long years of experience have given him a thorough
understanding of the banking business, and his ability in the management of
such institutions is unsurpassed in this section of the state. Other industries
have also been benefited by his skillful direction and sound judgment, and
he is now connected with the firm of Foshay & Brewer, the leading dealers
in lumber, coal and hardware in the village.
In 1877 Mr. Brewer was united in marriage to Miss Irene E. Delanoy,
of Mamaroneck, and they have five children: Reuben P., who is now book-
keeper and assistant teller in his father's bank; Nellie, Winnifred, Irene and
Elizabeth, all living at their pleasant parental home.
Mr. Brewer exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and
measures of the Republican party, and does all in his power to promote the
growth and insure the success of his party in this locality. He has served as
treasurer of the village and of the public-school fund of Mamaroneck, and has
held the same office in the Methodist Episcopal church. He has discharged
these official duties with the same thoroughness and fidelity that have char-
acterized all his business transactions, and at all times he is found true and
faithful to every trust reposed in him.
JOHN REEDY.
The genial and popular station agent at Pocantico Hills, Westchester
county, was born March 26, 1852, in Kingston, Middlesex county, New Jer-
sey, and is a son of John and Margaret (Reidener) Reedy. The father was
of Irish parentage and was a railroad man by occupation. The boyhood and
youth of our subject was passed in his native state and in New York, and his
education was received in the public schools. In early life he learned teleg-
raphy and soon became a good operator. He held a responsible position with
630 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
the elevated railway in New York city for about twelve years before coming
to Pocantico Hills, where he has made his home since 1887, and has served
as station agent to the entire satisfaction of the railroad company.
In 1878 Mr. Reedy was united in marriage with Miss Ella McCarthy, by
whom he has had nine children, but five died either in infancy or early child-
hood. Those still living are Margaret, John, William and Leo. Mr. Reedy
is a man just in the prime of life, weighing two hundred and fifty pounds, and
reminds one very much of the Hon. Thomas Reed in physique and appear-
ance.
By his ability as a railroad man he has gained the good will and esteem
of his employers, and by his affable and jovial manner has won the high
regard and friendship of those with whom he has come in contact either in
business, social or political life. As a business man he is careful and methodi-
cal, and duties entrusted to his care have been discharged with the utmost
promptness and fidelity. His fellow citizens, recognizing his worth and
ability, have called him to public office, and he has served as tax-collector in
his school district for five years. In 1888 he was appointed postmaster of
Pocantico under President Cleveland, served also under President Harrison,
and one year under McKinley.
MERWIN SNIFFIN.
The gentleman whose name we place at the head of this review is
classed with the leading merchants of White Plains, Westchester county,
New York. In this county he was born and reared and here several genera-
tions of the family have lived and died. The Sniffins are of Enghsh and
Scotch descent. Representatives of the family came over to America at an
early period in the history of this country and established their home in this
county shortly after the removal of the Indians from this place. Here Ben-
jamin Sniffin and Harris Sniffin, the grandfather and father of our subject,
were born, the latter being a native of the town of Middle Patent, and by
occupation a farmer and merchant. For many years he was engaged in
business in Greenburg, where he was well and favorably known, and where
he died, in 1.849. His wife, the mother of our subject, was, before marriage.
Miss Phoebe Brundage. She was born in the town of Mount Pleasant, this
county, and died in 1870, in her fifty-eighth year. Her father, Robert
Brundage, was a native of the same county, and died here in 1832. Harris
and Phoebe Sniffin had eight children,— four sons and four daughters. Three
of the sons are business men of White Plains.
Merwin Sniffin was born in Greenburg, New York, May 13, 1834, and
was reared chiefly in the town of Greenburg. Leaving school at the age of
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 631
sixteen to assist his father in the store, he early acquired a knowledge of
business and men. After some years spent in his father's store he engaged
in business on his own account, opening up a stock of boots and shoes in
White Plains, and continuing in business there until the outbreak of the
civil war.
Disposing of his business interests, Mr. Sniffin enlisted, in 1862, in Com-
pany B, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth New York Volunteer Infantry, under
Colonel William H. Morris and Captain E. W. Andrews. This regiment
belonged to the Third Brigade, Third Division and Fifth Army Corps, and
was commanded by General Warren. Mr. Sniffin with his command par-
ticipated in a number of battles and small engagements and was in active
duty until the close of the war. Among the prominent actions in which he
took part were those of Ahtietam, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Petersburg
and Cedar creek. His whole service was characterized by faithfulness and
true bravery, and at the close of the war he was honorably discharged.
Returning to his home in White Plains in 1865, he has since resided
here. The first year he was employed in work at the carpenter's trade; in
1867 he engaged in the grocery business, on the principal street of the town,
where he soon by his courtesy and honorable business methods built up a
good trade, and where he has since continued to do a prosperous business,
and to-day he ranks with the leading and most successful merchants of White
Plains.
In 1870 Mr. Sniilin married Miss Phoebe Martin, of Fordam, New York,
daughter of Cornelius Martin. Their union has been blessed in the birth of
one daughter, now the wife of F W. Clark, of Mount Vernon. By his
second marriage Mr. Sniffin has two daughters, Mabel and Clara, both attend-
ing school.
Like most veterans of the late war, Mr. Sniffin is identified with that popu-
lar organization, the G. A. R. , and has a membership in Cromwell Post. Also
he is a member of White Plains Lodge, No. 473, F. & A. M., and in his polit-
ical views he has always harmonized with the Repubhcan party.
WILLIAM H. A. HORSFALL.
From most of the biographical material in this volume we draw lessons
of ambition, industry, perseverance, integrity, etc., " for the young;" but in
this instance we find a young man who in due time learned the lessons and
has been improving by them from the very earliest practicable period to the
present, and is pushing the older members of his profession hard and fast
before him.
This young man was born January 22, 1871, in New York city, a son of
632 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
John Henry and Julia (Lane) Horsfall. He received his education in the
public schools of that city and subsequently pursued a course of scientific
study under a private tutor for three years. Next, preparing himself for a
high position as an architect, he completed a course of special training in
the office of an architect and finally a special course in Pratt's Archi-
tectural Institute. For the practice of his profession he first located at
Mount Vernon and operated here for three years, and the next three years
he followed the charms of his chosen art in New York city for the Suburban
Finance and Construction Company. Meanwhile he continued his office at
Mount Vernon; but, owing to the pressure of his rapidly growing practice here
at Mount Vernon he has since confined himself to this place, in October, 1894,
opening spacious offices at 2 and 4 Park avenue. In his work so far he has
been chiefly engaged upon private residences. Among the more important
public buildings which he has designed and built are the City Club building,
the police headquarters, the Valentine storage house and St. Francis' church,
Roman Catholic, in New York city, besides Henry Cannon's residence at
Irvington and his own handsome country seat. During the short time he has
been engaged in business in Mount Vernon he has planned and built one hun-
dred and fifty houses, having as many as fifteen on hand at a time. He
employs three assistants as draughtsmen at the office. He is a rising young
man, and the brightest period of his life is still before him.
Socially he is Very popular. He has served in the Eleventh Separate
Company (military)- of Mount Vernon, and he is a member of the Episcopal
church.
November 6, 1895, he was married to Miss Alice Porter, of Lenox, Mas-
sachusetts, a daughter of George Porter, of Revolutionary stock.
MICHAEL J. MARTIN.
The efficient assessor of Mount Pleasant township, and a prominent ma-
son and contractor residing in North Tarrytown, Michael J. Martin was born
on the 28th of September, 1854, on the same street where he now lives, a
son of poor but worthy parents, both natives of the Emerald Isle. The fa-
ther, Daniel Martin, was a teamster and remained in Ireland until 1846,
when he came to the United States, with the hope of bettering his financial
condition. At the old Matt street Catholic church, of New York city, he was
united m marriage with Bridget McCaley, who made him a good wife and
who is now living with our subject, at the age of seventy-six years, but the
father's death occurred in 1869.
Eight sons were born to this worthy couple, Michael J. Martin being the
sixth in order of birth. At the age of fourteen he took up silk-spinning and
^o^a^tyU
/XA^c^ty'L^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 633
-was thus employed for three years. Following this he was for two years en-
gaged in the butcher business with Henry Fischer, after which he was, for two
years, in the same business for himself. He then removed to New York
city, locating in the old ninth ward, with whose political interests he was
identified for some years, during which time he voted for John Kelley for
governor. He also carried on business there as a butcher. In 1880 he re-
■turned to his native town and, after clerking for a time, embarked in his pres-
ent business as a mason and contractor.
On the 7th of February, 1880, at the old cathedral on Matt street. New
York city, where his parents were wedded many years previous, Mr. Martin
led to the marriage altar Miss Lucy Fairbrother, who was born, reared and
educated in that city, a daughter of Isaac and Sophia Fairbrother. Of the
five children born of this union, Daniel Richard and Joseph are still living,
while three died when young: Mary, Agnes and Lucy.
Mr. Martin has always taken an active and prominent part in political
affairs and is one of the most prominent and influential members of the
Democracy in North Tarrytown and Mount Pleasant township, being a zeal-
ous worker for his party's interests. As a delegate to numerous conventions
he has rendered his party effective service, was instrumental in nominating
Ralph Baker and John Gibney, and worked earnestly for their election, and
also supported Isaac Turner in the fall of 1898. He keeps well posted on
the leading questions and issues of the day, and is therefore well able to vote
intelligently on every measure that comes up. He has most ably served his
fellow citizens in the capacity of assessor of Mount Pleasant township and
took an active part in the great assessor's case against John D. and William
Rockefeller, which attracted so much attention all over the United States.
Mr. Martin has also served on the board of health, has been chief and treas-
urer of the fire-department, and was a member and first assistant engineer of
the old hook and ladder company, with which he was officially connected for
many years. He was one of the charter members of Court Fremont, No.
258, Ancient Order of Foresters of America, at Tarrytown; served as treas-
urer for that court, and also as chief ranger, being elected to the latter office
three times in succession. In all the relations of life he has been found true
to every trust reposed in him, and he has a host of warm friends throughout
his native county.
J. ALBERT MAHLSTEDT.
Mr. Mahlstedt is president of the J. A. Mahlstedt Lumber & Coal Com-
pany, of New Rochelle, New York, and has demonstrated the true meaning
of the word success as the full accomplishment of an honorable purpose.
Energy, close application, perseverance and good management, — these are
634 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
the elements which have entered into his business career and crowned his
efforts with prosperity.
Mr. Mahlstedt was born in New York city, in 1853, a son of J. A. and
Margaret (Meyer) Mahlstedt, both natives of Germany. The father was
born in the village of Laste, in September, 1830, and was a son of Jacob and
Margaret (Bell) Mahlstedt. In 1849 J. A. Mahlstedt, Sr., emigrated with
his family to the United States, embarking upon a sailing vessel, and as the
winds were favorable they made the voyage in twenty-seven days. Arriving
in New York city, he located there and made that place his home until 1853,
when he came to New Rochelle, Westchester county. Here he engaged in
general mercantile business for a time, and in connection with it he became
interested in the ice business, which he continued to follow after disposing of
his stock of goods, building up a large and profitable trade. When he retired
from the ice business, he was succeeded by his son, J. Albert, who'is to-day
carrying on a large wholesale business as dealer in ice, the lumber and coal
business being largely retail. The lumber and coal sheds are the most exten-
sive in the place, and are arranged for both security and convenience. He
still conducts a large wholesale ice business, employing large bodies of men
and teams in harvesting the ice. He is one of the most energetic and pro-
gressive business men of New Rochelle. His brother, George W. Mahl-
stedt, is secretary and treasurer of the J. A. Mahlstedt Lumber & Coal
Company.
In 1884 was celebrated the marriage of J. Albert Mahlstedt and Miss
Margaret L. Holler, of Mount Vernon, New York, in which place she was
born and reared, being a daughter of John P. Holler, a highly respected citi-
zen of Mount Vernon. Mr. and Mrs. Mahlstedt now have a family of five
children, four sons and one daughter, namely: J. Albert, John F., Henry
G., Robert A. and Margaret L. The elegant home of the family is located
on the old Porter homestead, and is noted for its hospitality and good cheer.
Mr. Mahlstedt takes an active part in all matters of interest to his vil-
lage, and has most acceptably served as treasurer of New Rochelle for four
terms; trustee and treasurer of the Union free schools, of upper New
Rochelle. He has also been connected with the fire department for many
years, being a member of Enterprise Hook & Ladder Company nineteen
years, and treasurer of the same for twelve years. He is treasurer of the
public schools of New Rochelle, and president of the Standard Improvement
Company, which since its organization has been incorporated under the state
laws of New York. He was one of the organizers of the board of trade of
New Rochelle, and is treasurer of the same. The village has no more enter-
prising or public-spirited citizen,— one willing to aid every object for the
good of the community.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 635
ELBERT T. BAILEY.
This well-known real-estate dealer and insurance agent of Mount Kisco,
New York, eminently deserves classification among the purely self-made men
who have distinguished themselves for their ability to master the opposing
forces of life and to wrest from fate a large measure of success and an hon-
orable name.
He was born in Sing Sing, New York, and is a son of Benjamin Bailey,
also a native of Westchester county, where his early life was spent. He
published a newspaper at Sing Sing for several years and later became a
noted criminal lawyer, enjoying a large practice in Putnam and adjoining
counties and being remarkably successful in his trial of cases. He made his
home in Carmel, Putnam county, but also had an office in New York city.
He represented that county in the state legislature for three years, always
took an active and influential part in political affairs, and at one time was the
Democratic candidate for congress from his district, but was defeated. He
was one of the incorporators of the New York & Harlem Railroad and
served as attorney of the same for several years. He died at the age of
sixty-two years. His father was also a native of Westchester county. Our
subject's mother, who was an active and prominent member of the Methodist
church, was in her maidenhood Miss Calista Wilson, of this county, and died
at about the age of sixty-three. Of her four children two died while young,
and our subject is the older of the two now living. William F. is now a
distinguished citizen of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and has served as supreme-
court judge of that state for the past six years. During the civil war he
entered the service as private but was soon detailed as private secretary to
General Sedgwick. In Westchester county he raised a company, which was
mustered into the United States service as Company K, Ninety-fifth New
York Infantry, and he served as captain of the same.
The boyhood and youth of Elbert T. Bailey was principally passed at
Carmel, Putnam county, where he attended both public and private schools,
and later became a student in the seminary at North Salem, Westchester
county. At the opening of the Civil war, however, he laid aside his school-
books and entered the Union service with his brother, as orderly sergeant,
but shortly afterward was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and
served as such until discharged on account of physical disability. For two^
months he lay in a hospital, ill with diphtheria and typhoid fever, and then
was taken home by his father. Among his most cherished possessions is a
sword presented him by the citizens of Carmel. On his recovery he accepted
a position as operator at New York city for the Western Union Telegraph
Company, with which he remained for a couple of years, and was then
^36 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
appointed agent at Hillsdale, Columbia county, New York, being located
there for about three years. At the end of that time he came as agent to
Mount Kisco and most acceptably filled that position for a quarter of a cent-
ury, or until 1893, when he resigned. In the meantime he had become
interested in the real-estate and insurance business, which now claims a con-
siderable degree of his attention. In company with D. Waldron Bailey, he
has also engaged in the manufacture of yellow-pine, poplar and locust lum-
ber at Elkin, North Carolina, since 1895, and that enterprise also is proving
very profitable. In 1894 he was appointed by the supreme court, one of the
commissioners to appraise the condemned property of the water way between
Brewster's and Croton Falls on Croton river, which supplies New York city
with water, and is still filling that responsible position with credit and ability.
Mr. Bailey married Miss Josephine Holmes, of Mount Kisco, a daughter
of Joseph Holmes, also a native of Westchester county, and they have be-
come the parents of four children: W. Frank, who is engaged in the real-
■estate and insurance business with his father, and is also an expert witness
for the city of New York on condemned real-estate; D. Waldron, who is
with his father in the lumber business in North Carolina; Jennie B., at home;
and George L. T. , who is engaged in mercantile business in North Carolina.
Politically, Mr. Bailey is a stanch and active Democrat, who ranks
among the most honored counselors of his party, and his opinions and advice
are continually sought on questions of the greatest importance to the city.
He was a member of the board of education and president of the same for
several years; has been president of the village three or four years; and rep-
resented the town of Bedford as county committeeman for several years.
Fraternally he is a charter member of Kisco Lodge, No. 708, F. & A. M.,
and was one of the organizers and is now an honored member of Stewart
Hart Post, G. A. R. , of which he was the first commander, an office he con-
tinued to fill for several years.
GEORGE L. MILLER.
" Earn thy reward; the gods give naught to sloth," said the sage Epi-
charmus, and the truth of the admonition has been verified in human affairs
in all the ages which have rolled their course since his day. The subject to
■whose life history we now direct attention has, by ceaseless toil and endeavor,
attained a marked success in business affairs, has gained the respect and con-
fidence of men, and is recognized as one of the distinctively representative
citizens of White Plains. For many years he has been prominently identi-
fied with its building interests and has thus become known as an important
factor in industrial circles in Westchester county.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. QBT
Mr. Miller was born in White Plains, January 6, 1849, and belongs to one
of the old families of the county, long connected with its history. The family
is of German origin and in colonial days was founded in America. The great-
grandfather of our subject was Robert Miller, who married Annie Fisher, and
after the battle of White Plains their home was used as the headquarters of
General Washington for sometime. Mrs. Miller was a very devout Method-
ist and her home was the place of entertainment for all the Methodist minis-
ters that visited the neighborhood. Many of the meetings of that denomi-
nation were also held in her house. Elijah Miller, the grandfather of our sub-
ject, was born in Westchester county and was a farmer by occupation. He
married his cousin, Lettie Miller, and they became the parents of Leonard
Miller, father of George L. He was born in the town of White Plains,
Westchester county, in 1810, became a contractor and builder and erected
many of the substantial residences in the county-seat and surrounding coun-
try. He was one of the organizers of the Central Bank of Westchester
county, of which he was made president, serving in that responsible position
for some time, and continuing to act as a member of the directorate up to
the time of his death, which occurred in May, 1884. His wife bore the
maiden name of Eliza Jane Renoud, and was born in Rye, Westchester
county, in 18 17. Her father was Stephen Renoud, whose father was a de-
scendant of the French Huguenots, and located in Westchester county, near
New Rochelle. The former was twice married, his first wife being a Miss-
Travis, by whom he had one daughter. His second wife was Martha Purdy
and by this marriage he had three children, a son and two daughters.
George L. Miller, the well-known contractor and builder of White
Plains, spent his boyhood and youth in this city, and acquired his education
in its public schools. In 1869 he began to learn the carpenter's trade with-
his father, and after he had mastered the business he did considerable work
along that line in Rockland and Orange counties, New York. Returning to
White Plains, he became a manager of his father's business, — an association
that was maintained until 1876, when our subject began contracting and
building on his own- account. A good measure of success has attended his
indefatigable and well-directed efforts. He has taken contracts for the
erection of many of the best residences in White Plains and vicinity, as well
as business houses, churches and public buildings. His fidelity to the terms
of a contract, excellent workmanship and honorable dealings have brought to
him a very liberal patronage, and on all sides stand evidences of his handi-
work and skill.
In October, 1876, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Miller and Miss
Esther A. Coles, of Greenburg, Westchester county, the second daughter of
James and Esther (Van Wart) Coles. She was born in this county, where
688 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
she also spent her girlhood and school days. Her grandfather was Robert
Coles, a son of James Coles. Her maternal grandfather was Isaac Van
Wart, a Revolutionary soldier, who valiantly fought for the independence of
the nation, being one of the party which captured Major Andre. Mr. and
Mrs. Miller have one child, a daughter, Lena Adelle. Their home is one of
the substantial residences on Broadway, situated in the midst of a pretty
lawn and attractive surroundings. In politics Mr. Miller af&Hates with the
Republicans and takes considerable interest in local and county politics. He
is now serving as trustee of White Plains and is progressive and public-
spirited in the discharge of his duties. He is loyal as a citizen, honorable in
business, and popular among a large circle of friends.
MATTHEW J. HALL, M. D.
Dr. M. J. Hall, a successful practitioner of medicine in Mamaroneck, has
started out upon a long and brilliant career of responsibility, awkward duties
and disagreeable works of charity; but he has the talent, the physical ability
and the disposition to acquit himself well.
The Doctor is a native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, born April lo,
1864, and at that place was brought up and educated in the public elementary
and high schools. He began the study of medicine under a thorough physi-
cian, Dr. B. C. Howland, and at the age of eighteen years was matriculated
at the New York Homeopathic Medical College, of New York city, and after
three years of arduous study received the diploma of the institution. After
filling the position of resident physician at what is now the Flower Hospital
a year, he came, in 1886, to Mamaroneck, since which time he has been
■engaged exclusively and continuously in the practice of his chosen profession.
He has been health officer for seven years; is a member of the county, state
and national medical societies, of the Hahnemannian Association and the
Hahnemannian Society of New York.
The Doctor was united in marriage with Miss Leila J. Foshay, a daughter
of John F. Foshay, Esq., and they have two children — Marjorie and How-
land, — the latter being named in honor of his father's medical preceptor.
The Doctor is a member of the Masonic order, Apawamis Lodge, No.
800; a member of the I. O. O. F., Alert Lodge, No. 752; of Sheldrake Coun-
cil, No. 264, Royal Arcanum; of Hawthorne Commandery of the Golden
Cross; is the medical examiner for the Metropolitan Mutual Life and the
Prudential Life Insurance Companies, and for the Catholic Benevolent Legion.
His religious views may be known from the fact that he is a consistent mem-
ber of the Congregational church.
In conclusion we may say a few words with reference to the Doctor's
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 639
genealogy. The Hall family can trace their ancestry back to the year 912.
Two hundred years ago the name was spelled Halle. In the family there
have been many attorneys and physicians. William Marshall Hall, the father
of our subject, was a native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, was superin-
tendent of the cordage company there for thirty years, and died at the age of
sixty-four years. Enlisting in the war for the Union, he joined the Sixth
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry; but when his regiment had reached Balti-
more on its way to the front the war closed. Mr. Hall was an active Repub-
lican, and a zealous and intelligent member of the Congregational church.
He married Miss Margaret Thompson, of New Bedford, who is still living,
being now seventy-two years of age. She also is a sincere and consistent
member of the Congregational church. Her father, John Thompson, was
also a native of Massachusetts, and of an old, well known and highly respected
family of the Bay state. William Hall, grandfather of the Doctor, was a
native of Edinboro, Scotland, and was educated at the noted university there,
of which institution he was secretary for several years.
FRED. E. TOMPKINS.
This highly esteemed citizen, engaged in farming and dairying near White
Plains, was born in the town of Greenburg, Westchester county, April 15,
1864, the eldest son of Sylvester G. and Harriet E. Tompkins. His mother
was a daughter of Andrew Tompkins, and his father was born in the town of
Greenburg, on the old Tompkins homestead, in December, 1837, the son of
Gilbert Tompkins, who also was a native of the same town. The paternal
great-grandfather of our subject was Thomas Tompkins. Sylvester and
Harriet E. Tompkins were the parents of three children: Fred. E. , our sub-
ject; Eva E., who became the wife of Joseph H. Lewis, Jr., of White
Plains; and Chester W.
Mr. Tompkins, whose name heads this brief sketch, was reared to agri-
cultural pursuits on his father's farm and educated at the district school.
He was about thirty-three years of age when his father died, and he thereupon
took charge of the place. His mother, surviving, is a resident of the home-
stead. The forty-three acres of which it consists are in a good state of culti-
vation and furnished with good buildings.
In his political views Mr. Tompkins is a Republican. He has served as
tax collector for a number of years, faithful to his trust and rendering satis-
faction to the authorities for the manner in which he has accomplished his
duties. In religion he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal
■^ church.
October 13, 1886, he was united in matrimony with Miss Myra T.
640 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Shelley, a native of Greenburg town and a daughter of Clark and Elizabeth-
(Sniffin) Shelley, of Unionville, in the town of Mount Pleasant. Mr. and
Mrs. Tompkins have one daughter, named Hazel M.
PETER J. MITCHELL.
Closely connected with the business interests of Yonkers, New York,
and ranking as one of its leading citizens, we find the subject of this sketch,
Peter J. Mitchell.
Mr. Mitchell is a native of Yonkers, born January 9, 1862, and is a son
of Thomas and Mary (Quinn) Mitchell. He received his educatioti in St.
Mary's parochial school and in the public schools, and at the age of fourteen
years left school to make his own way in the world. He was first employed
as clerk in a paint store, where he remained only a short time, after which
he learned the trade of hatter in the establishment of Baldwin & Flagg,
Yonkers. This business occupied his time up to 1877, when he entered the
employ of his brother, Michael F. Mitchell, in the hotel of which he is at
present proprietor. He remained with his brother until 1886, when he
opened an establishment of his own on Ravine avenue, known as the Glen-
wood House. This he conducted ■ for three years and a half. In 1890 he
bought of his brother the Warburton Hotel, which he has since successfully
conducted. Both in the hotel business and in the various other enterprises
with which he is connected he has met with marked success. Mr. Mitchell
is a director of the Yonkers Brewery; e member of the executive committee
of the Warburton Hall Association; vice-president of the Yonkers Bowling
Association; a stockholder in the banks of Yonkers, as well as the Gas Com-
pany and the District Telegraph Messenger Company; member of the Yon-
kers and Corinthian Yacht Clubs' and the A. B. C. Bowling Club. He is
also prominently identified with the fire department of Yonkers.
In June, 1883, Mr. Mitchell became a member of Protection Engine
Company No. i; in August of that year was made its treasurer, and in 1884
its foreman, and he has been a representative of this company for twelve
years. He was elected state delegate to the conventions held at Lockport,
New York, in 1886; Schenectady, in 1887; and Binghamton, in 1898. As a
delegate to Lockport, in 1886, he took up the fight which resulted in the
election, at Binghamton, in 1898, of the city of Yonkers as the state con-
vention city for 1899. Mr. Mitchell has kept up a ceaseless fight in the inter-
est of Yonkers, and it is due to his tireless efforts that this town will the
present year enjoy the pleasure of entertaining the state convention. From
time to time Mr. Mitchell has served on various important committees. He
was on the topic committee in 1897, and was made a member of the auditing.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 641
committee in 1898-9. He was president of the finance committee until suc-
ceeded by Mayor Sutherland, when he was made first vice-president of the
Firemen's Convention Committee, which position he is filling at present. He
was the president of the Yonkers Athletic Association during 1895 and 1896.
Mr. Mitchell is a member of St. Mary's Roman Catholic church. He is
a splendid example of the self-made man, and stands deservedly high in both
business and social circles.
JOSEPH H. HUFF.
Joseph H. Huff, the genial proprietor of the Huff Hotel at Pleasantville,
New York, was born on the 17th of October, 1854, in Hunterdon county,
near Little York, New Jersey, a son of Jacob and Jane (Halk) Huff. The
father, who belonged to an old and highly respected family of that state, was
a cabinet-maker by trade.
During his boyhood and youth Joseph H. Huff pursued his studies in the
common schools of New Jersey. On starting out in life for himself he worked
as a mechanic on public works in New York for a while, and then became
interested in the hotel business. It was in 1889 and 1890 that his present
hotel at Pleasantville was erected, it being a fine three-story structure
with a well lighted basement, and it has become a great favorite with the
traveling public, for he is a model landlord, jovial, popular and obliging.
On the 20th of August, 1890, Mr. Huff was united in marriage with Miss
Kate Noyes, daughter of George Noyes, and to them has been born one son,
William H. Mr. Huff uses his right of franchise in the support of the Demo-
cratic party, and takes an active and commendable interest in public affairs.
He is now serving as town commissioner of highways. For three terms he
was the treasurer of the board of highway commissioners. He is a mem-
ber of the fire department, of which he was the organizer and its first chief.
He also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
FRANKLIN P. PERKINS.
The manager of the extensive business of the Hotchkiss Beef Company
at Port Chester, Mr. Franklin P. Perkins, is a capable business man and a
representative citizen who is entitled to mention as such in this volume. He
was born March 28, 1855, at Litchfield, Connecticut, where he grew up and
obtained his education in the public schools. At the age of nine years he left
home to live with an aunt on a farm, and there he learned the heavy duties
pertaining to agricultural life, and continued therein until nineteen years of
age, when he was employed in a butcher shop in Litchfield and Naugatuck,
41
642 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Connecticut, and he continued tlius engaged for twelve years. Two years of
this time he also ran a shop for himself. Next, for a time he was employed
in a wholesale beef house for Mr. Hotchkiss in Yonkers, and finally came to
Port Chester, where for a year he conducted business on his own account,
and then, in 1894, he sold his shop to take his present position, where his
responsibilities are heavy, as the house is a large one and doing an extensive
business, handling about two car-loads of meat each week and furnishing the
neighboring towns with choice meats.
In his political views Mr. Perkins is a Democrat, but he prefers to
devote his energies to private business rather than take any part in the per-
sonalities of politics.
In matrimony he was united with Miss Elsie H. Scott, of Goshen, Con-
.necticut, and they have two daughters.
PAULDING AND REQUA HOUSES.
There are several old houses in Tarrytown that have a history going
back to the Revolutionary war, and some of them even far beyond it. The
most famous of these probably is known as the Paulding house. It is a
frame building, situated on Water street, and almost within a stone's throw
of the cove, which there sets in from the river. It is not more than three
minutes walk from the Hudson River Railroad depot. The track of the road
is quite near it, and the house is plainly visible from the car windows, but
is now very much dilapidated, — in fact, in a half tumble-down condition,
-with the floors rotted away, the rooms damp and deserted, the green moss
-growing on the roof, which consists of three layers of shingles, the lower-
most being of cedar, the one put on upon the top of the other, as, after
long intervals, there was occasion to make repairs.
No one would imagine from looking at the house and its surroundings
now that it had ever been the seat of elegant culture and refinement, where
distinguished men and lovely women met and enjoyed the pleasures of a
brilliant social life. Yet here it was that James Kirke Paulding, so eminent
in the ranks of early American authorship, the intimate friend and literary
collaborator of Washington Irving, and secretary of the navy under Presi-
dent Van Buren, lived from the close of the Revolution until the year i8oo,
when he removed to New York city. And from this house it was that Wash-
ington Irving, then a very young man, and a guest in the Paulding family,
went for half a day of boating on the river, and rowed down to Wolfert's
Roost, where, going ashore, and loitering along the slopes and in the glen,
the tranquil beauty and sweet attractiveness of the place so deeply impressed
him that he then first conceived the idea, which he long afterward carried
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 6^3
out, of buying it as a home for himself. Mr. Irving made this statement in
a conversation with the late Mrs. Benson Ferris, in the presence of her son,
Mr. Benson Ferris, Jr., president of the Westchester County Savings Bank,
who distinctly remembers it, and communicated the fact to the writer. The
garden and grounds around the Paulding house are said to have been always
kept in the best of tasteful order, and the place altogether to have presented
every feature of a bright and beautiful home. But it has had its day and
served its purpose, and all tokens now indicate that decay will soon lay the
old mansion in the dust.
Just north of it, on the corner of the street leading down to the cove,
is the old house owned and occupied in those early days by Judge Isaac
Requa, long since passed away. That, too, was a place of home comfort
and happiness, almost as well kept and as attractive as the Paulding place
adjoining. But that also, like its long-time neighbor, must soon yield to the
inevitable law.
BENONI PLATT.
This gentleman, who is the manager of the search department of the
Westchester county branch of the Lawyers' Title Insurance Company, with
office at White Plains, was born in the town of Scarsdale, this county, in
August, 1857, the son of Lewis C. Piatt and Laura (Popham) Piatt, of
Scarsdale. (See sketch of Lewis C. Piatt.)
Mr. Piatt was educated in the public school, graduating at the White
Plains high school, and commenced his business career as an assistant clerk
in the surrogate's office, under Owen T. Coffen, and continued there for
eight years, and then for nine years was deputy county clerk, under the
Hon. John Digney. In January, 1896, he took charge of the search depart-
ment of the Westchester county branch of the Lawyers' Title Insurance Com-
pany at White Plains, which position he is now filling, with satisfaction to
his employers, who are equally interested in satisfying the public.
He is a member of Hebron Lodge, No. 229, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and is unmarried.
A REVOLUTIONARY REMINISCENCE.
In an interview with the Rev. Alexander Van Wart, in his home at
Pleasantville, on June 15, 1885, he gave to the writer, among other recitals,
the following:
His mother's maiden name was Rachel Storms, and her house was just
down the hill toward the west of the "Four Corners," on the Tarrytown
road. His maternal uncle, Nicholas Storms, lived there at the same time.
644 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Looking up toward the east one day he saw a military company manoeuver-
ing at the Four Corners, on the top of the hill, near Young's house, and,
supposing them to be Americans, he mounted his horse, and rode up to learn
the news. He did not discover until he was right in front of them that they
were British troops out on a scouting and foraging expedition. It was too
late to retreat, for they saw him, and so, putting on a bold face, he rode up
and inquired of them what was the news. They ordered him to dismount,
took him prisoner and kept his horse. His sister, Rachel Storms, afterward
the wife of Isaac Van Wart, one of the captors of Andre, was sent to beg for
her brother's release. She did so, and to such good purpose that one of
the soldiers said to the others, "Oh, she must be his sweetheart. Let's give
him up." And they did. She was sent back a second time, to beg for a
cow they had taken, and then, too, she gained her request.
Mr. Van Wart, after speaking of the fact that his father had sold the
farm given to him by congress, in Putnam county, and had purchased the
Young place, at the Four Corners, described the somewhat elevated sandy
field just north of the corners, on the east side of the Unionville road, as
the place where some thirteen American and three British soldiers, who fell
in the fight at Young's house, were buried, and, he added, "I have plowed
many a furrow over the graves of those who were there killed."
ISAAC R. TRIPP.
Mr. Tripp, who is the efficient justice of the peace of North Castle town-
ship and one of the most prosperous agriculturists of the locality, was born
April ir, 1856, on the farm which he still occupies. This old homestead
has been in the possession of the family since 1825, when it was purchased by
his grandfather, Isaac Tripp. He was born in 1792, about one mile from
that place, in the same township, and was a son of Benjamin and Abigail
(Birdsall) Tripp. The birth of Benjamin Tripp also occurred upon that
farm, where his father, Anthony Tripp, had located when this section was
almost an unbroken wilderness. The last named was a native of Wales,
and on coming to this country he first located in Rhode Island, and
throughout life he engaged in farming. His son Benjamin was likewise a
farmer and was a member of the Society of Friends. He died at the age
of sixty, but his wife had reached the advanced age of ninety-eight years at
the time of her death. Their son Isaac, our subject's grandfather, was both
a farmer and mechanic. He erected a sawmill, which he successfully oper-
ated, and also engaged in coopering and chair-making, being quite well-to-
do at the time of his death, though he started out in life for himself empty-
handed. He never aspired to official honors, but was reserved in manner
y^L^c^^^^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 645
and domestic in taste. He departed this life at the age of ninety-one, and
his wife at the age of eighty-nine. In their family were two children: John,
the father of our subject; and Mary, now the widow of Walter Sutton and a
resident of Bedford Station.
John Tripp has throughout life engaged in farming and stock-raising,
and has also operated the old sawmill erected by his father. He is recog-
nized as one of the best and most reliable citizens of his community, his
course having ever been such as to command the confidence and respect of
all with whom he has come in contact. In politics he was first a Whig and
is now a Republican. He married Miss Cornelia Reynolds, who died in
i860, leaving two children, our subject being the older. Stephen R., born
March 29, 1858, is now a resident of San Francisco, California, and is en-
gaged in business in connection with the electric railroad works. The father
is still living, at the age of seventy years.
Isaac R. Tripp was reared and educated in his native township and has
always followed agricultural pursuits, owning and operating one of the best
farms in his part of the county. It comprises one hundred and ten acres,
which he has under a high state of cultivation and which is improved with
excellent buildings. On the 1st of January, 1878, he was united in mar-
riage to Miss Josephine Hobby, who was born in Banksville, North Castle
township, this county, and is a daughter of George and Deborah A. (Mead)
Hobby. To them have been born four children, namely: John H., Cor-
nelia D., Alice and Annie. The parents are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church and are numbered among the county's most worthy and
respected citizens. For seven years Mr. Tripp has most acceptably served
as justice of the peace, and socially he is identified with the Junior Order of
American Mechanics.
HENRY ROSSITER WORTHINGTON.
The Worthington Memorial chapel, a fine stone building, was erected in
1883, as a memorial to the late Henry Rossiter Worthington, by his widowed
wife. It is built on a portion of the somewhat extensive landed property
which Mr. Worthington owned in the Nepperhan valley at the time of his
decease. His mortal remains lie in a vault under the chancel. It is a taste-
ful structure, and is said to have cost altogether about twenty thousand
dollars. The building itself and the grounds adjoining, together with the
inclosure, are kept in excellent order, which must involve, in addition, a con-
siderable expense.
The following tribute to the memory of Mr. Worthington is from the
transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for the year
1 88 1, he having been vice-president of the organization:
646 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
The wide and profound expressions of regret at the sudden decease of Mr. Worthington
among his professional acquaintances and in the great circles of his friends were first, and
largely, an expression of personal bereavement. He had earned a high place as an ingenious
inventor and a successful engineer, and his work will leave an indelible impression upon pro-
fessional practice, but the influence and the traditions of him as a man and a friend will outlive
generations of engineers.
The foundation of this mingled esteem and affection was his intense and abiding love of
the truth. The foundation was built upon by scientific methods, and the structure was adorned
by personal graces and accomplishments. The love of truth that came from a high-minded
ancestry was nurtured by his professional pursuits, for his profession, unlike some other pro-
fessions— and this is their misfortune, not their fault — has an inevitable criterion, and that is
the truth. This sentiment — for it grew in him from a conviction to a sentiment — not only con-
trolled his professional and private conduct, but it stimulated in him an honest skepticism
regarding those beliefs in general which have come down to us with no higher authority than
that they are an inheritance. He was a willing and valiant assailant of "humbug" in every
form, and, nobler than this, he was the patient iconoclast who dispelled the phantoms in the
mind of many an inventor, and who saved many a plodding experimenter — not in applied
science only — from impending disaster. He was also endowed with a grand humanity which
practice perfected. Nor were his friends, so called, the sole beneficiaries; only a long and inti-
mate fellowship with him has discovered many of his private charities, and half of them will
probably never be known.
These attributes found apt and eloquent expression in his scholarly culture and brilliancy,
in his spontaneous and perennial wit. As the patient, but not generally impassioned, advocate
of truth, or as the exposer of a fallacy or an imposture by analysis, by analogy, by ridicule, he
had few equals. And, to crown all, was his overflowing good-fellowship, — with all his serious
thoughts and moods, his love of humor and mirth, of intimate talks with groups of friends,
rambling from grave to gay, when all his truth and his kind and, withal, fantastic inspirations
would grow into bloom. It was an education to hear him talk when the subject was large
enough to move him.
The time is not ripe to analyze Mr. Worthington's contributions to the engineering
specialty, in which he did not claim, but in which he was assigned, by general consent, the
highest place. Mr. Worthington was undoubtedly the first proposer and constructor of the
direct steam pump. The duplex system in pumping-engines — one engine actuating the steam
valves of the other, causing a pause of the pistons at the end of the stroke, so that the water
valves can seat themselves quietly, and preserve a uniform water pressure, this being a vast
improvement on the Cornish engine— is generally admitted to be one of the most ingenious and
effective, and certainly one of the most largely applied, advances in modern engineering.
Mr. Worthington was chiefly known as a hydraulic engineer, but apart from this specialty,
his experimental and practical contributions to other departments of engineering, such as canal
steam navigation, compound engines, instruments of precision and machinery tools, would
entitle him to a high position in the profession.
Mr. Worthington was born December 17, 1817, and died December 17, 1880. His ances-
tors in America were sprung from Sir Nicholas Worthington, of Worthington, England, who
died at Naseby, for King Charles, and they came to America in 1649.
It would be interesting to trace the history of this family, especially the grand old father,
Asa Worthington. A minute review of the life of Henry Rossiter Worthington, with its multi-
tudinous benefactions of invention, of counsel, of entertainment, would also be pleasing and
instructive, but this is not the time nor the place.
His mortal remains lie on the edge of the old rocks which geologists call the primal con-
tinent, and every following cycle furnishes some stone to lay on his grave. So his immortal
remains illustrate every phase of progress, from silurian instinct— to live— to the last formula
of civilization — to let live.
Mr. Worthington was born in the city of New York, but his parents soon after removed to
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 647
Brooklyn, where they continued to reside for many years. His father, Asa Worthington, at one
period held the position of consul at Lima, South America, which appointment he retained for
a number of years. He was, at the time, connected with the business firm of Wetmore, Chaun-
cey, Cryder & Company, who had an establishment house in Lima.
Mr. Worthington's wife was Miss Newton, daughter of the late Commodore John T. New-
ton, United States Navy. She, with four children, survived him,— Amelia Stuart (wife of T.
Whiteside Rae, civil engineer, formerly connected with the United States Navy); Henry Fraser;
Sarah Newton (wife of William Lanman Bull, a banker in Wall street), and Charles Campbell
(who succeeded his father as an hydraulic engineer in the business which he founded).
The mortal remains of Mr. Worthington were laid to rest in the Memorial chapel built by
his widow, at Nepperhan valley, near Irvington.
ISAAC MONMOUTH HUNT.
A prominent agriculturist of White Plains, Westchester county, New
York, Isaac M. Hunt is a son of Thomas and Harriet (Guion) Hunt, and
was born in New York city, May 27, 1837. John Hunt, the great-great-
grandfather of our subject, was born in Shropshire, England, in 1707, and in
1725, when but eighteen years old, came to America and settled in Hacken-
sack, New Jersey, and from there moved to the town of Greenburg, in
Westchester county, New York, which at that time was a part of Philips
Manor. He married Aletha Hunt, who was born in 171 1. They were the
parents of five daughters and four sons. The great-grandfather, Thomas
Hunt, married a lady whose maiden name was Sarah Sloate. Isaac Hunt,
the grandfather, was born in Putnam county, New York, in 1771, and lived
in the town of Greenburg. He married Susanna Purdy, of White Plains,
New York, a daughter of Jacob Purdy, of that place.
Thomas Hunt, the father, was born in the town of Greenburg in 1798,
and was for many years a merchant in the city of New York, although he
made his home in his native township until his death, which occurred in 1 882.
He was a devoted member of the Baptist church and a faithful worker in that
body. He was united in matrimony to Miss Harriet Guion, a daughter of
Monmouth and Anna (Lyons) Guion. The family trace their ancestry back to
the time of the persecution of the Christians in 1682, when so many of the
French Huguenots came to this country to escape this persecution. Among
the number was the founder of the Guion family in America. Harriet
Guion Hunt was born in New York in 1798, and died in 1883, at a good old
age. She left the following children: Susan A., wife of James Elliott;
Benjamin G., who died in 1887; Thomas P.; Harriet E., spinster; and
Isaac M., our subject.
Isaac M. Hunt received his primary education in the district schools,
and then attended a select school taught by an Episcopalian clergyman, the
Rev. Augustus Striker. He then returned to the farm, and, having a natural
e48 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
as well as acquired aptitude for agriculture, he still resides there and has
acquired a considerable property. His two sisters make their home with
him on the old homestead, among lifelong friends. He is a pronounced
Democrat and has served as assessor of the town of Greenburg for fifteen
years. He was a school trustee for one term. He is kindly by nature,
treasures few resentments, and is ever ready to do a favor, while in every
transaction he is honest, upright, and honorable to a fault. He is a man of
commanding presence and amiable and engaging manners, and his extreme
popularity in the community is but a natural sequence.
HON. EDWIN W. FISKE.
The name of this gentleman is one which has figured conspicuously on
the pages of Mount Vernon's history during the last ten years. By reason of
his strong mentality, engaging personality and recognized ability, he has
become a leader in public thought and action, and is now at the head of the
municipal government, administering the affairs of the city with marked
loyalty to its best interests.
Mr. Fiske was born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, on the 17th of July,
1 86 1, and is a son of Samuel and Amanda (Stoddard) Fiske. The father
was a native of Massachusetts, descending from good, old Puritan ancestry. His
father was Samuel Fiske, also a native of the Bay state, the original Ameri-
can home of the Pilgrims. The mother of our subject was a native of Penn-
sylvania. In the public schools of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Edwin W.
Fiske acquired his education, and at the age of eighteen entered upon his
business career, by beginning an apprenticeship to learn the process of man-
ufacturing Bessemer steel in the work of the Pennsylvania Steel Company,
at Steelton, Pennsylvania. From that place he removed to New York city,
where for more than fifteen years he has now successfully engaged in busi-
ness as a dealer in steam and hot-water heaters, supplying these to large
buildings on contract. He is energetic, enterprising and capable, and his
sagacity and well managed interests have brought to him a very handsome
competence.
Mr. Fiske makes his home in Mount Vernon, where he located about
1885, and since that time he has been an important factor in the public inter-
ests of the town. In 1889 and 1890 he served the old second ward as a
member of the board of village trustees, and in 1893 he was elected alderman
from the present second ward against a strong competitor. While serving
in that capacity he was chairman of the committee on streets and sidewalks,
and in that capacity did much toward improving the streets and avenues. In
1894 he was the unanimous choice of the Democratic party for the office of
^i^^ii^^:?^^ ^^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 649
mayor, and is now at the head of the city government. His administration
is both progressive and practical, and while he favors every movement tend-
ing toward the welfare and improvement of the city, at the same time he
brings to bear upon all new measures introduced the calm, unbiased judg-
ment of a reliable and sagacious business man. He is unfaltering in support
of the principles of his party, and his information concerning the political
issues of the day is comprehensive and accurate. In other ways Mr. Fiske
has also been connected with the public affairs at Mount Vernon. Soon
after his arrival here he became connected with Steamer Company No. 3, of
the city fire department, and soon was made its foreman. That office he
filled for three years with credit to himself and satisfaction to all, when he
was elected chief of the fire department. For four years he filled the latter
office and did much toward securing better equipment, better discipline and
better service in every way. He is also interested in social as well as polit-
ical matters, and has been a member of the executive committee of the Inter-
national Association of Fire Engineers of the World. He has been president
and treasurer of the Firemen's Benevolent Association of this city; is a mem-
ber of Hiawatha Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Mount Vernon Chapter, R. A. M. ;
Bethlehem Commandery, K. T. ; Mecca Shrine, of New York city; Lodge No.
I, B. P. O. E. , of New York city; Sons of the Revolution of New York State,
and Golden Rod Council, Royal Arcanum.
Mr. Fiske was united in marriage to Miss Anna E. Smith, daughter of
the late Henry C. Smith, the first president of the People's Bank, of Mount
Vernon, and a prominent citizen. They now have three children, two sons
and a daughter. Their position in the highest society is assured, and they
enjoy the hospitality of the best homes in Mount Vernon. Mr. Fiske is a
man whose business career conforms to the strictest ethics of commercial
life; whose public career has been marked by the most unquestioned fidelity
to duty, and whose private life commands the respect of all, while his cordial,
genial manner renders him a pleasant companion and has made him very
popular among all classes.
S. R. SHEAR.
S. R. Shear is a son of Clark A. and Lucretia Shear. He was born in
Orwell, New York, and lived there until five years of age. He afterward
lived with his parents in Boylston and Richland, Oswego county, and West
Camden, Oneida county. At the age of twelve years he was taken by his
uncle, Wallace E. Shear, of Stittsville, Oneida county, and lived with him
for several years, in that time receiving an academic education at the Hol-
land Patent Union School, after which he returned to Oswego county and
650 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
taught school two winters at Ricard. He completed his education at the
Oswego Normal School, and then became principal of the Orwell village
school, and later principal of school No. 8, Mexico village. In 1890 he be-
came principal of the Pulaski graded schools, holding that position for two
years. In September, 1892, when the Pulaski Academy and graded schools
were consolidated, he assumed control of the entire system. Under his man-
agement the enrollment in the academic department increased from thirty
to one hundred and fifty, and the teaching force from seven to twelve. In
1897 he resigned his position as principal of the Pulaski Union School and
Academy, to accept the superintendency of the White Plains pubhc schools,
a position which he now holds.
He was married in 1889, to Miss Nettie Reynolds, of Orwell, and they
have one daughter. Rose Elizabeth, born June 27, 1891. Mr. Shear is a
Royal Arch Mason, a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and
an active member of the Sons of Veterans, having been captain of A. S.
Warren Camp, No. 105, for two years.
SOLOMON MEAD.
The Mead family went originally from Somersetshire, or Devonshire,
into county Essex, England, during the reign of King Henry VI (A. D.
1422), and first settled at Elmdon. There seems to have been eight distinct
families of the name in England, known by their respective coats-of-arms,
four having the pelican and four the trefoil as their heraldic design. A num-
ber of distinguished individuals were numbered among these English fami-
lies; among others, Rev. Matthew Mead, a celebrated non-conformist divine
in the reign of Charles I, and his son. Dr. Richard, who was appointed physi- .
cian in ordinary to King George II, and who first practiced inoculation in
England. The name is spelled both with and without the final "e. " The
Earl of Clan- William line always used the "e. " That family is of Irish
extraction, and is the one from which the Meades of Virginia are derived.
In England the spelling was variable.
The family in this country, at least that portion which settled in Fair-
field county, Connecticut, preserved the tradition that two brothers came
over from England, and that one stopped at the eastward, while the other
came to " Horse-neck " (Greenwich), Connecticut. The tradition is possibly
correct, as a Gabriel Mead and David Mead settled in Lexington, Massachu-
setts. Gabriel was born in 1587 and died in 1666, aged seventy-nine. A
son, Israel, was born in 1639, and there were several daughters. David was
possibly also a son of Gabriel, though he does not seem to be mentioned in
the will. The first record of any Mead in Fairfield county, Connecticut, is
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 651
the following in Stamford town records: " December 7, 1641, William Mayd
received from the town of Stamford a house, lot and five acres of land."
The date, 1641, agrees with the Lexington dates and seems to bear out
the tradition of the family as mentioned. This William is the ancestor of
the Fairfield county Meads. We have record of three children, though there
were probably four. A son who died about 1657 is noted in Huntington's
History of Stamford.
The three children of William of whom we have record are Joseph, born
1630, died 1690; Martha, married John Richardson, of Stamford; and John,
the ancestor of the Greenwich Meads. Both Joseph and John were settled
for a time at Hempstead, Long Island, but they afterward removed to Fair-
field county and located there. John purchased land of Richard Crab, and
the deed is dated October 26, 1660. The descendants of William are prac-
tically innumerable.
The Westchester county branch was established in the town of Lewis-
boro (then South Salem), about the year 1776, by Colonel Enoch Mead, a
brother of Major-General Ebenezer Mead, of Greenwich, Connecticut.
Colonel Mead married, at the age of twenty. Miss Jemima Mead, daughter of
Caleb Mead, of Greenwich, who was in her twentieth year. He and his
young bride made a journey of exploration up into Massachusetts on horse-
back, but returned and settled on a ridge traversed by the New York and
Albany post-road, about half a mile south of Lake Waccabuc. Here he
built a log house, in which he was still living when the war of the Revolution
broke out, and in which was born his oldest son. Colonel Solomon Mead,
but from which he soon removed to the house, still standing, which is owned
and occupied by his descendants. Colonel Enoch Mead was a man of great
energy and ability, and his wife, who long survived him, was a woman of
heroic resolution and indomitable courage. Many traditions are preserved
in the family of their patriotic and self-sacrificing devotion to the national
cause and of the risks they ran, — of the swift horse which had to be kept in
the cellar; of the repulse of a band of marauding cowboys by the youthful
matron alone, except for an infant child and a negro slave boy; and of the
flight of the little household into the woods at the rumored approach of the
enemy. Colonel Enoch Mead served at one time on the staff of his brother,
the general, but managed, while the war was still in progress, to get his new
house built for his young wife. Here their family of nine children were
born, six of them living to a good old age, and the other three dying in child-
hood and early youth. Here the oldest son. Colonel Solomon, died in 1870,
at the great age of ninety-two years. The place is now known as Elmdon.
Colonel Solomon was, like his father, a man of uncommon ability, and
through his long life his services were in constant demand as a friendly ad-
•652 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
viser and arbitrator. He also married very young, wedding, at the age of
twenty, Miss Eunice Gilbert, aged nineteen. The oldest son of this youth-
ful couple, Jacob Gilbert Mead, died at his place, a few hundred yards to the
northward, in 1884, at the advanced age of eighty-four. Colonel Solomon,
as were his parents and a number of his children, was buried in the family
burying-ground, about one-quarter of a mile south of his former residence.
The eastern boundary of the farm was formerly that of Cortlandt Manor,
— the so-called twenty mile line, which divided it from Connecticut, — and
the rude monument erected by the commissioners in 1734, to mark an angle
of the line, is still standing in the stone wall of which it forms a part.
The second son, Alfred (or as he always, for some unaccountable reason,
spelled it, Alphred), was established a little way down the road, and before
many years eight comfortable houses in succession, on as many flourishing
farms, were occupied by members of the family, all bearing the family name,
so that the road became known as Mead street. The first minister of the
Presbyterian church in South Salem was Parson Solomon Mead, who was an
uncle of Colonel Enoch Mead. He was settled May 19, 1752, and remained
in charge until shortly before his death, in 1812, at the age of eighty-six. He
was very eccentric and grew more so as age increased upon him. Many
amusing stories have been told of his peculiarities. He lies buried in the
cemetery at South Salem, and a neat tombstone marks his resting place.
MILTON C. PALMER.
An attorney at law of Sing Sing, and now serving as police justice of
the village, Mr. Palmer is well known as a successful educator through
eleven years of faithful and efficient service. Although he has recently
retired from teaching, his work will not readily be forgotten by the many who
■have been helped by him along the steep, and sometimes weary, path of
knowledge.
Mr. Palmer was bcrn in Sing Sing, April 29, 1862, and is a son of Rich-
ard and Charlotte (Lawrence) Palmer. The mother is now deceased, but
the father is still living, and makes his home in Sing Sing. Prior to the war
of the Rebellion he was engaged in business in New York city, but later gave
his attention to farming, and is now living retired. The family is of English
origin, and was founded in this country, in 1638, by three brothers, James,
William and John, who came from England and located near Stonington,
Connecticut. In 1695 William removed to Westchester county, New York,
and took up his residence near New Rochelle. It is from him that our sub-
ject is descended. The next in direct line to our subject was Henry Palmer,
a farmer, who was the father of Richard Palmer, a man of prominence, and
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 65a;
of considerable wealth, for those days. He held a number of town offices.
The latter's son, Richard R. Palmer, was the grandfather of our subject.
He was one of the leading and influential citizens of Sing Sing, held many
local offices of honor and trust, was a man of upright, Christian character,
and held conspicuous place in a large circle of friends and acquaintances.
Milton C. Palmer is the third in order of birth in a family of nine chil-
dren. The family is identified with the First Baptist church, and is quite
prominent.
Mr. Palmer, of this review, was principally reared in this state, but
spent one year, from 1872 to 1873, in Maine. He attended the public-
schools of Sing Sing, and graduated, in 1877, at the head of his class. Thus
prepared for college, he entered Cornell University in the fall of 1877, and
graduated from that noted institution, in 1881, with the degree of B. S.,
being the youngest in his class. He at once commenced teaching school,,
and in 1884, after a successful examination in New York, was granted a
state teacher's life certificate. He successfully taught in the public schools
of Westchester county until 1889, when he established, at Sing Sing, what
was knowii as Palmer's Collegiate and Business School. In the fall of 1892
he entered the Columbia Law School, and was graduated therefrom with the
degree of LI^. B., in 1895, but before his graduation he was admitted to the
bar on May 15, 1894. He has since been successfully engaged in the prac-
tice of the law at Sing Sing, and on the 19th of March, 1896, was elected
police justice, which office he is now filling in a most creditable manner.
On the 23d of December, 1891, Mr. Palmer married Miss Eliza D. Vail,
a daughter of William and Phcebe B. (Palmer) Vail, in whose family were-
two children, the younger being Indiana, now the wife of T. H. Calam, of
Sing Sing. They belong to one of the oldest, most highly respected and
prominent families of Westchester county. The father, who is now deceased,,
was a worthy representative of the Vail family, which was founded in this
county about the beginning of the seventeenth century by Samuel VaiL His
ancestors were from England and the name was formerly spelled Veale and
Vaile. Thomas, the son of Samuel, is considered the head of the family in
Westchester county. He was a member of the Friends church and was one
of a family of ten children, one of whom was John Vail, the father of Thomas,
who had a family of four children: John, William, Elizabeth and Ann. The
second son, William, is the father of Mrs. Palmer.
Politically Mr. Palmer is a stanch supporter of the Republican party,
and as acting chairman of the Republican town committee for two years he
rendered it effective service. Socially he is a prominent member of the Sing
Sing Yacht Club, the Point Senasqua Rod & Reel Club, the Westchester
County Bar Association, and the Cornell Club, of New York city, while relig-
^54 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
iously he is one of the leading members of the Baptist church of Sing Sing,
takes an active part in all church and Sunday-school work, and for two years
was president of the Young Men's Christian Association.
WILLIAM PATERSON VAN RENSSELAER.
Mr. Van Rensselaer was the second son of the patroon, Stephen Van
Rensselaer, of Albany, and was born March 6, 1805., His mother was a
daughter of Judge William Paterson, of New Jersey. After graduating at
Yale College, in 1824, he was commissioned aid-de-camp to Governor De-
Witt Clinton, with the title of colonel, which post he soon relinquished, and
from 1826 spent four years in Europe, traveling extensively and pursuing legal
studies in Edinburg.
Upon his return he entered the office of Peter A. Jay, then a well known
lawyer of New York. For a number of years afterward he resided in Albany
^nd Rensselaer county, but the last twenty years of his life were spent at his
home at Manursing island, near Rye, Westchester county. He died in New
York, November 13, 1872.
He inherited from his distinguished father many noted characteristics.
Conspicuous among these was a true simplicity. Free from all pretension
and eminently unselfish, he found his happiness in a life of retirement and in
unobtrusive but earnest endeavors to do good. A genuine sympathy with
works of Christian benevolence was another inherited trait. He was an
attentive observer of the great and philanthropic movements of the day and
a most liberal supporter of every worthy cause whose claims were brought to
his notice.
A man of noble impulses and clear convictions, he was no less decided
in the rebuke of injustice and iniquity than in the approval of that which was
good. The uprightness and elevation, the kindliness and generosity of his
nature, his fine intellectual gifts and high culture, and with all an unaffected
humility, the fruit of true religion, made him the marked example of a Chris-
tian gentleman.
WILLIAM N. SLATER.
Numbered among the progressive, enterprising business men of Harri-
son is the subject of this sketch. Though he has been here but a few
years, dating from February, 1894, he has succeeded in building up a large
and flourishing business and has made a truly enviable reputation for upright-
ness, justice and courteous treatment of all with whom he has entered into
iinancial relations.
The Slaters have long been considered representative citizens of West-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 655
Chester county and none are more thoroughly respected and esteemed. The
father and grandfather of our subject both bore the Christian name of Abra-
ham. The father is now retired from active business cares, having amassed
a comfortable fortune by years of honest, industrious toil in his chosen voca-
tion of building and contracting. He married Eva E. Schmaling, a native
of Rye township, and she has been a true helpmate to him, sharing his joys
and sorrows and aiding him with her loving womanly sympathy and cheer.
They became the parents of five children, but two of the number are
deceased. Abraham H. is engaged in businesswith the subject of this arti-
cle, and the only sister, Mary G. , is at home.
The birth of W. N. Slater occurred in this county, March i, 1872, and
here he grew to man's estate, receiving an excellent public-school education
at an academy, where he pursued an advanced course of study. He was
initiated into the mysteries of business life long before attaining his majority,
and he is now a dealer in lumber, lime, cement, brick, and, in short, almost
everything needed in the construction of a house or other building, and keeps
a full line of hardware, paints, oils, etc., in addition to which he runs a
feed, grain and hay store. He carries a very large and well selected stock,
and strives to please his customers as to price and quality of goods. In
manner he is genial and obliging and his word is always to be depended upon
to the letter. In political matters he sides with the Democratic party, but
he has given little attention to politics, as his business affairs have thus far
engrossed his whole time.
Upon the 24th of September, 1896, Mr. Slater was united in marriage
with Miss Sarah B. Haight, .a daughter of Thomas A. Haight, an old and
respected citizen of Round Hill, Connecticut. Mrs. Slater is a lady of good
education and attainments and is a member of the Episcopal church. She
takes great interest in religious and charitable enterprises and is aided by her
husband in her many benevolent enterprises. They have an attractive
home, where their hosts of friends delight to congregate.
GEORGE GRAB, Jr.
The genial and popular proprietor of the Central Hotel, and also owner
of the New Rochelle BottHng Works, of New Rochelle, New York, is one of
the most enterprising, energetic and successful business men of this com-
munity. He is a native of Germany, born in Baden, December i8, 1861,
and is a son of John and Susan (Saber) Grab, also natives of Baden. The
father was a general business man, of sound judgment and good executive
ability, and carried on operations in Germany until 1892, when he emigrated
to America and located in New Rochelle, where he spent the remainder of
656 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
his days in retirement, dying here August 13, 1897, at the age of sixty-five
years. His wife, who survives him, is still living in New Rochelle, and is in
her sixty-seventh year.
George Grab, Jr., was educated in Germany, being admitted to school
at the age of six years and continuing his studies until he attained his
fifteenth year, after which he was variously employed in his native land. It
was in 1880 that he came to the United States, landing at the port of New
York, and from that city he came at once to New Rochelle, where he soon
afterward entered the employ of Becker & Sons, and later of Christian
Becker, manufacturer of fine scales, and with him he remained for seven
years. He then embarked in business on his own account, opening a gro-
cery store on Oak street, and also handling beer. In 1890 he purchased the
Central Hotel, at No. 17 North street. New Rochelle, which he has since
conducted in a most successful manner, making his place a favorite resort
with the traveling public. In 1889 he also became agent for the Stevenson
Brewing Company, New York city, which responsible position he still holds,
and in 1897 he purchased the entire interest of the New Rochelle Bottling
Company, and in that branch of his business also is meeting with excellent
success.
In 1884 Mr. Grab was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Clarius, of
New York city, and they now have two interesting children, a son and
daughter, — Peter C. and Mamie. Politically Mr. Grab is a stanch Demo-
crat, and is now rendering his partj' efficient service as secretary of the
Democratic town committee. Fraternally he is a member of Frederick
Hielig Lodge, No. 329, I. O. O. F. , and has. also been a member of the
Enterprise Hook & Ladder Company for the past fifteen years,, serving as its
secretary for several years, and being the second oldest member of the com-
pany now living.
JUDGE STEPHEN A. MARSHALL.
This honored resident of Port Chester was born April 18, 1837, '" Green-
wich, Connecticut, in which place also his father, Gilbert Marshall, was born,
November 3, 1809. The latter devoted his life to the shoe business, coming
in 1859 to Port Chester, where he spent the remainder of his life, his death
occurring in 1892, when he had arrived at the age of eighty-three years. He
was a Republican but not publicly active in political matters, and in religion
he was a Methodist, being active and efficient in church work, filling about
all the lay offices in the society. He had seven children, viz.: Ann M.,
wife of David S. Betts, of Port Chester; Stephen A.; Joseph H., bookkeeper
and confidential man at the Russell, Birdsall & Word Bolt & Nut Works;
Leslie G., of Port Chester; Abraham F., of Greenwich, Connecticut; Caro-
.-e:^^^=C<<^ <S^^^^
-^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 657
line M., now Mrs. Charles Riddle, of New York; and Sarah E., who married
Charles Joy and is living in New Haven, Connecticut. The eldest is now
sixty-three years of age and the youngest forty-nine, and all are married and
have families.
Stephen Marshall, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was also a
native of Greenwich, Connecticut, where he passed all his life, his occupation
being mainly that of running a market sloop between Greenwich and New
York. He died in 1837, at the age of fifty-one years. Mr. Gilbert Marshall
married Miss Deborah Hoyt, a daughter of Joseph and Thankful (Benedict)
Hoyt, and she died at the age of sixty-four years. She also was a member of
the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Stephen A. Marshall, whose name heads this brief sketch, remained
at his parental home attending the public schools until fourteen years of age,
when he began clerking in a grocery in Greenwich, and continued there till
August II, 1853, when he came to Port Chester and was clerk in a dry-goods
store for Samuel Kelley and Johnston A. Deal for about six years. Next he was
engaged in the bakery business until 1864, when he sold out. Being elected
overseer of the poor in 1862, he served in that office three years. Next he
was appointed by Governor Horatio Seymour as a recruiting officer for West-
chester county to enlist soldiers for the army, and in this service he went to
Washington, D. C. , in June, 1864, and remained there until the following
May, after the war was ended. While he was recruiting officer he paid out
a sum between eight and nine hundred thousand dollars.
After the war he returned to Port Chester and engaged in the wholesale
cigar and tobacco trade, selling mostly to merchants in this county, and fol-
lowed this business for five years. In 1870 he was appointed under-sheriff
by Sheriff Brundige, and served in that office for three years; for the subse-
quent three years he was out of business; in 1874 Mr. Brundige was again
elected sheriff and Mr. Marshall was again appointed deputy by him and
served during his term of office, and also in the same capacity under Sheriff
James C. Courter, and one term under Sheriff Stephen D. Horton, two terms
under Sheriff Duffy, and one term under Sheriff Schumer, — so that altogether
Mr. Marshall was deputy sheriff for a period of twenty-one years. In 1888
he was performing the duties of his office as deputy sheriff, when he was
appointed justice of the peace at Port Chester, ever since which time he has
held the office. He has a judicial mind, and the community appreciate his
painstaking care and impartial fidelity. In his view of national policies he is
a Democrat, and has been active in the interests of his party ever since he
became of age. From 1869 to 1879 he was one of the trustees of the village
of Port Chester, and during the latter year he was elected president of the
village and served one term. Next he was clerk of the village for five years.
42
658 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
In matrimony Judge Marshall was united with Miss Jane Leonard, who
died January 27, 1899, and they had three children: Charles A., now a pat-
tern-maker at the Birdsall & Word Bolt and Nut Works; Stephen Leonard,
deputy postmaster at Port Chester; and Emily J.
HALCYON SKINNER.
Yonkers resembles other cities in that some of its citizens, by reason of
political influence, or wealth, or fluency of speech, have attained prominence
for a brief time, and then have been forgotten. Among those whose distinc-
tion is deserved, and not short-lived, is Halcyon Skinner. He came to
Yonkers in 1865, an unassuming stranger, neither wealthy nor college-bred,
in dress plain, in manners quiet, in disposition retiring, a man of more
thought than words; and those who met the unpretentious stranger did not
know that his labors here would prove such an important factor as they have
become in promoting the growth and prosperity of the town, and making it
famous at home and abroad as a center of one of the largest carpet industries
in the world; nor did they know that his great ability as an inventor would
materially increase the wealth of the country. Mr. Alexander Smith, his
friend and employer, appreciated his talent, and on more than one occasion,
notably when Messrs. A. T. Stewart & Company endeavored to secure his
services, he made such arrangements with him that Mr. Skinner remained_
with him.
The annals of Yonkers would be incomplete without a record of Mr.
Skinner's contributions of original thought to its development. His father,
Joseph Skinner, of New England, was an inventor and natural mechanic,
whose tastes turned him away from farming, to which he had been bred, and
influenced him to engage in mechanical pursuits. Halcyon Skinner's early
education was obtained in a log-cabin district school in Ohio, and subse-
quently, when the family moved to Massachusetts, he attended school at
Stockbridge during several winters, working in summer for the neighboring
farmers, or for his father in the shop. His father's success in devising and
constructing machines for rapidly and efflciently forming the various parts of
violins, led him to the construction of a large machine for cutting veneers,
and one of his father's large machines for veneer-cutting was in use for some
years in Mr. Copcutt's mill, at West Farms, New York. In 1838 the family
moved to West Farms, where the father became foreman for Mr. Copcutt,
and the son worked with him in the mill. When the mill was destroyed by
fire, in 1845, Halcyon Skinner found work as a carpenter. He was then
twenty-one years old. In 1849, when Mr. Skinner was about twenty-five
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 659
years of age, Alexander Smith, who was owner of a small carpet factory at
West Farms, and who knew something about his mechanical skill, had a
conversation with him about a new method of dyeing yarns, in which he and
an assistant were interested. The carpet factory was not then in operation,
but Mr. Smith and Mr. John G. McNair were engaged in devising and con-
structing some apparatus for parti-coloring yarns for ingrain carpets. Mr.
Smith desired Mr. Skinner to aid them. The object was to so dye different
parts of a skein of yarn that when woven into the fabric each color would
appear in its proper place in the design. If this could be accomplished the
striped appearance, which was a great objection in ingrain carpets, would be
avoided. The process required reels of a particular form and a special reel-
ing machine, also an appartus for immersing parts of the skein in the dye
liquor accurately to a measured depth. Mr. Skinner overcame the difficulty
with which the experimenters had met, and devised a reeling machine and dip-
ping apparatus which proved to be efficient. A factory was built for manu-
facturing the new style of carpet on a large scale, and Mr. Skinner became
the general mechanic of the factory. When his connection with the Alex-
ander Smith & Sons Carpet Company terminated, in November, 1889, he
had rendered Mr. Smith and his business successors a service of forty years.
Only those familiar with the history of carpet manufacture in the United
States and abroad can begin to realize what Mr. Skinner accomplished.
The carpet industry as he left it widely differed from what it was when he
became connected with it.
In 1855, when Mr. Smith spoke to him about the possibility of construct-
ing a loom for weaving Axminster carpet, that fabric was woven by a slow
and costly process of hand weaving. It seems that no attempt had ever been
made to weave it in any other way. Mr. Skinner at that time knew little or
nothing about power looms of any kind, and had not even seen a power loom
in operation for many years. His tools were few, as were the conveniences
with which he had to work. The invention of the Axminster loom was the
beginning of a new period in the art of carpet-weaving, because it first made
possible the production of this high-grade fabric by automatic machinery.
■One operative with the new loom could easily produce as many yards per day
as seven or eight could produce by the best previously known method. The
weaving of tapestry ingrain by power was also considered to be impossible,
until Mr. Skinner devised machinery by which the work was efficiently done.
When looms for weaving tapestry Brussels were brought to Yonkers from
England and proved defective, Mr. Skinner designed a loom so superior that
eventually the number of yards of carpet produced by it was double the num-
ber manufactured by the imported loom in the same time. The English
looms were sold for half what they cost to make room for the improved ones.
660 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
"When the English yarn-printing machines accompanying the looms were
found unsatisfactory, Mr. Skinner designed a new machine as much superior
to the old one as the new loom was to the imported loom. The printing
machines from England were broken up.
In 1874 he received from A. T. Stewart & Company an offer of a much
larger salary than he was receiving from the Smith Company, to enter their
service and take supervision of the mechanical department of the various fact-
ories which they controlled. After careful consideration he decided to remain
in Yonkers, and made an engagement with Mr. Smith for a term of years.
Immediately after the engagement Mr. Smith broached to him the subject of
getting up a power loom for weaving moquette carpets. Mr. Skinner gave
his attention to the matter and made some experiments, but as much of his
time was taken up with planning buildings and other matters, it was sev-
eral years before much progress was made. In 1877 a patent was obtained
and half a dozen looms were built. Two of these were sent to England and
France, where several concerns were licensed to build and operate looms
under the patents which had been obtained in those countries, and he spent
a number of months there attending to the construction and starting of them.
In 1879 forty looms were built and put in operation by the Smith Company.
From that time the manufacture of moquette carpets increased as experience
and skill were acquired in operating the looms, and various improvements in
details were made, until one operator attending two looms can weave from
twenty-five to thirty times as much in a given time as could be woven by one
working by the best methods known previous to the invention of the moquette
power-loom. These and other very important inventions did not engross all
Mr. Skinner's attention. Much of his time was occupied in oversight of the
general mechanical work of the large factory, and in planning and superin-
tending the construction of the new buildings which the expanding business
required. Having reserved the right to use in looms for weaving body-Brussels
carpets the improvements which he had made in tapestry looms, Mr. Skinner,
in 1 88 1, designed for the Bigelow Carpet Company, of Clinton, Massachusetts,
a loom for weaving that class of goods. He prepared working drawings, and
a loom was built at the works of the company, which proved so successful
that all the looms put in operation after that time were constructed after his
plans in preference to those previously designed by Mr. E. B. Bigelow, the
original inventor of the power looms for weaving body-Brussels carpets. Mr.
Skinner's rights in the subjoined list of patents were assigned to Mr. Alexan-
der Smith, or to the Alexander Smith & Sons Carpet Company:
I. Axminster loom; 2, Improvements on Axminster loom; 3, Improve-
ments on ingrain loom; 4, Improved tapestry loom; 5, moquette loom; 6,
Improvements on moquette loom; 7, moquette fabric (4 shot); 8, moquette
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 661
fabric (3 shot and 2 shot); 9, improved chenille carpet loom; 10, chenille (or
" fur ") loom.
When Mr. Skinner began working for Mr. Alexander Smith, in 1849,
the establishment consisted of one small wooden building, containing nine-
teen hand-looms for weaving ingrain carpet. The looms were not then in
operation, but when in full work would turn out about one hundred and sev-
enty-five yards per day, making about a wagon load to be sent to New York
each week. The looms were all in use in the spring of 1850, when the new
method of dyeing had proved a success. When Mr. Skinner left, in 1889,
after a service of forty years, there was a series of large brick buildings, with
floor room to the extent of about three acres, all of which had been planned
by Mr. Skinner and erected under his supervision. These buildings contained
at that date nearly eight hundred power-looms, the more important and valu-
able of which Mr. Skinner had invented and designed, and the remainder
of which he had so greatly improved that the production of each one of them
equaled that of two of those used previous to his improvements. About
thirty-five hundred operatives were employed in the various departments, and
the actual production of all kinds reached 9,217,000 yards per year. In
1892, three years later, the production had increased to 40,000 yards per
day, of which 15,000 yards were moquette, amounting to 4,500,000 yards
per year of that kind of carpet. In 1895 the number of looms of all kinds
had reached 930.
To show more fully the importance and value of the invention of the
moquette loom, it may be said that the production above mentioned (15,000
yards per day) would yield to the owners of the patents a royalty of twenty
cents per yard, amounting to nine hundred thousand dollars for the year,
besides a still larger amount in profits to the manufacturer. In addition to
this, the Hartford Carpet Company, in this country, and several companies
in England and France, were paying large amounts in royalties. The most
important result of the inventions of the moquette loom and auxiliary
machinery for preparing the materials is the reduction in the price of this
very desirable style of carpet from three or three and a half dollars per yard
to considerably less than one dollar, thus bringing it within the reach of all
who care to have a carpet of any kind. This difference in price, taking the
quality produced by the Smith Company alone (say 15,000 yards per day),
represents a saving to the consumer of nearly twelve million dollars a year.
The quantity produced by other companies would greatly increase this amount.
Notwithstanding the small cost of manufacturing this fabric, which was never
produced in this country before the invention of the loom, the daily wages of
the operatives are more than double those of the workers under former
methods. These statements help one to realize what Mr. Skinner has done
662 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
for Yonkers and for the country. Since leaving the Smith Carpet Company^
he has been engaged a considerable part of his time in designing and con-
structing a new moquette loom, which has shown a capacity for greatly in-
creased production and greater economy of material. Having no interest
in the royalties or profits derived from his former patents, he is at the pres-
ent time, at the age of seventy-two years, with the co-operation of a few
friends, making preparations for manufacturing carpets in the mill near Nep-
perhan avenue, and at the east end of the Glen.
Mr. Halcyon Skinner's two sons are both inventors. In 1879 Charles
E. Skinner, who had worked with his father in constructing and putting in
operation the Axminster loom, and afterward on the moquette loom, studied
out some devices by which he thought moquette goods could be woven in a
way different from that in which the original loom operated. Not being a
practical weaver, he associated with himself Mr. Eugene Tymeson, who had
started many of the moquette looms at the Smith works, and was an expert
at that work. An experimental loom was built which gave good results, and
a patent was obtained. Arrangements were made by which the patent, with
several others afterward obtained, were transferred to the Smith Moquette
Loom Company, for the consideration of one hundred thousand dollars in
stock. Unfortunately for him the company did not prove a success and the
stock proved to be of no value, the property being transferred to the Alex-
ander Smith & Sons Carpet Company. His improvements were not put in
operation as a whole, but some of them were applied to the original mo-
quette loom, with the result of a considerable increase in production.
About 1 88 1 Mr. Halcyon Skinner's second son, Albert L. Skinner, who
had been working for several years in the machine shop connected with the
Smith Works, a considerable part of the time on looms, thought he could
do something in the way of inventing a moquette loom. His ideas were
quite novel and gave promise of good results if properly carried out. He
made drawings of some devices embodying his ideas, and obtained a patent
for the same. He made arrangements with the Bigelow Carpet Company,
of Clinton, Massachusetts, and built a loom, which was put in operation at
their works. It proved very successful, and a large number of the looms
were built and have been profitably operated by the company ever since.
ROBERT A. REYNOLDS.
Bedford township, Westchester county, New York, includes among its
intelligent and prosperous citizens the subject of this sketch, Robert A.
Reynolds, whose post-office address is Katonah. He was born at the old
Reynolds homestead, where he now resides, July 26, 1844.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 663
As far back at the Reynolds family can trace their history they have been
New Yorkers. The grandparents of Robert A. were Joseph and Anna (Fuller)
Reynolds, and their family was composed of ten children, seven sons and
three daughters, of whom the eldest, Lewis, died in March, 1898, at the age
of eighty-six years. The others in order of birth were named as follows:
Aniza, Horace, Mary Ann, John L. , William, Phoebe Jane, Joseph E. , Sarah
E. and Hiram B.; and of these Aniza, William and Joseph E. are deceased.
Their son John L. , who was the father of Robert A., was born August 30,
1819, in Bedford township, Westchester county. To him and his M^ife were
born nine children, of whom the following are still living: W. Henry, Frances
Totton, Robert A., Abigail, Cassius J., John S. and George McClellan.
Robert A. Reynolds was reared on his father's farm and has always made
his home on it with the exception of the three years he spent in the army.
Soon after the civil war was inaugurated his youthful ambition and his strong
patriotism led him to offer his services to the union, and as a member of the
Fourth New York Heavy Artillery he went to the front. He was in the
battle of Petersburg, after being with Grant in the Wilderness and around
Spottsylvania Court House. Returning home October 20, 1864, at the close
of three years' service, he resumed work on the farm, and has been engaged
in agricultural pursuits ever since.
Politically, Mr. Reynolds support the man he deems best fitted for the
office rather than holding strictly to party lines, and is what is termed an
independent. Socially, he is identified with McKeel Post, No. 120, G. A. R.
Mrs. Reynolds is a member of the Presbyterian church.
HENRY G. V. DeHART, M. D.
For a period of twenty-five years. Dr. DeHart has been identified with
the medical profession of Westchester county, New York, and since 1888 has
resided at White Plains. Dr. Henry Garrett Voorhees DeHart is a native of
New York city. He was born February i, 1849, and traces his ancestry
back to the early settlement of this country when three brothers by the name
of DeHart emigrated from France, their native land, to America. On the
voyage over they formed the acquaintance of a Holland woman by the name
of Van Arsdalen, whom one of the brothers, the ancestor of our subject, mar-
ried, the newly wedded couple settling on the southern part of Long Island,
the other brothers finding homes in different localities. The grandfather and
father of Dr. De Hart, Uriah and Henry De Hart respectively, were born in
New Jersey, the latter on Ten Mile Run, Middlesex county, September 11,
1812. He was in his earlier life a school-teacher, but abandoned that pro-
fession for the mercantile business, in which he was engaged successfully for
664 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
a period of forty years. He died in 1889. Tiie Doctor's mother was before
marriage Miss Cordelia Newton. Siie was born in Middlesex county, New
Jersey, November 6, 18 14, daughter of William Newton, an .Englishman,
who came to this country about the time of the Revolutionary war. She
died in November, 1896.
The first five years of his life the subject of our sketch passed in his nat-
ive city. Then he rnoved with his parents to Kingston, near Princeton, New
Jersey, and while there he attended the Lawrenceville Classical and Com-
mercial High School. From the latter place he moved with his parents to
New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he entered Rutger's College in the year
1867, pursuing his studies in that institution until 1869. He then began the
study of medicine under tha precsptorship of Harry R. Baldwin, M. D., of
New Brunswick, New Jersey, and eventually matriculated at the College of
Physicians and Surgeons in New York city, where he completed the course
and graduated in 1873. That same year he located at Pleasantville, West-
chester county, where for fifteen years he was engaged in the practice of his
profession, and whence he came, in 1888, to White Plains, During the ten
years of his residence here he has enjoyed a large and lucrative practice, and
such has been his manner of life that it has won him the confidence and high
esteem of all who have required his services or have in any way come in con-
tact with him.
Dr. DeHart was married May 19, 1875, to Miss Maggie A. Winship, of
Pleasantville, New York, daughter of Henry and Almira Winship, the latter
a lineal descendant of John Alden, of Plymouth notoriety. The Doctor and
his wife have six children, five sons and one daughter, namely: William
Oscar, Clarence, Chester Hartranft, Henry Harold, Frederick Alden and
Alice Elaine. The eldest son, William Oscar, is a resident of New York
city.
The Doctor is a member of White Plains Lodge, No. 473, F. & A. M.,
and of the Order of Chosen Friends and the Order of Foresters, in White
Plains. Also he is a member of "Westchester County Medical Society, and is
examining surgeon for the Provident Life Insurance Society of New York,
CHARLES F. VALENTINE.
A representative of one of the prominent old families of Westchester
county, founded here in colonial days, Charles F, Valentine was born at the
old homestead on what was known as the old " King's Bridge road" but is
now Trenchard avenue, Yonkers, December 30, 183 1, His grandfather,
James Valentine, was born in the house which was used by General Wash-
ington as his headquarters during the campaign of White Plains and in which
Q'Mr^rj ^'{/kj?//^^e.
OJ^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 665
the plans were made that resulted in forcing the British to evacuate New
York. Removing to a farm near Bronxville, James Valentine there became
the owner of two hundred and ninety acres of land, whereon he died in 1816,
at the age of fifty years. In politics he was a Democrat, and in religious
faith an Episcopalian, belonging to St. John's church. He married Elizabeth
Warner, and to them were born the following children, besides the father of
Charles F. : Elizabeth, who became the wife of George Briggs; Harriet,
wife of Shadrack Taylor; Ann; Charlotte, who married Archer Martin; Sarah,
wife of Royal Teftt; Nathaniel; Charles and Susan.
Staats Valentine, the father of our subject, was born September 22,
1800, on the old family homestead near Bronxville, and made farming his
life work. He purchased sixty acres of land bordering Trenchard avenue,
Yonkers, — the place where his son James now resides, — and there spent his
remaining days. He was a fife major of a company of home guards, and was
a member of St. John's Episcopal church. He died May 4, 1872, and his
wife, who bore the maiden name of Abigail Lawrence, was born January 21,
1803, and died November 8, 1884, at the age of eighty-two years. They
had a family of six children: Delia, deceased; James L. ; Charles F. ; Ed-
ward, deceased; Abraham Warner, who has also passed away; and Emily,
wife of Benjamin Thompson, of Mount Vernon.
In the public schools of Yonkers Charles F. Valentine acquired his
education, subsequently learned the carpenter's trade and then engaged in
contracting and building in New York city. He made his home at No. 443
East Eighty-eighth street, New York, and was prominently identified with
the building interests there for thirty years, or until 1890. He erected many
substantial residences and did an extensive and profitable business, acquiring
a handsome competence. In 1896 he removed to Yonkers and erected his
present residence upon the old homestead tract, part of which is still owned
•by Charles F. and James L. Valentine. Since returning to Yonkers he has
devoted himself to the management of his real-estate interests, and has also
taken contracts for the erection of some substantial structures in the city.
His business career has been characterized by untiring diligence, by progress-
ive methods and .honorable dealing, and has brought very satisfactory
financial returns.
Mr. Valentine has been three times married. He first married Emma
Reeves, who died July 12, 1865, at the age of twenty-four years. In March,
1867, he wedded Isabella Gray and to them were born three children, but
all are now deceased. His present wife was formerly Mrs. Edith Bowne,
and their marriage was celebrated June 12, 1887.
In his political views Mr. Valentine is a stalwart Republican and took
an active part in furthering the cause of his party in the old twenty-second
666 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
assembly district of New York. He did much campaign work and public
speaking in a local way and has always kept well informed on the issues of
the day, so that he has ever been able to give an intelligent support to the
party principles. He has always been especially alert in defeating the plans
of those who sought office merely for personal considerations, and given his
aid to those whom he believed would prove valuable and trustworthy public
servants. He never sought or accepted office himself, his labors being solely
for the advancement of political principles which he believed would promote
the general welfare. In religious belief he is a Methodist, his membership
being in a church of that denomination in New York city.
JAMES L. VALENTINE.
The subject of this review, who is living at the old family homestead in
Yonkers, was born on the farm near Tuckahoe, where his grandfather resided,
December 24, 1829, and he received his educational discipline in the public
schools. When a youth he went with the family to his present home on
Trenchard avenue, which has been his place of abode continuously since.
He has since been engaged in farming, and in connection with his brother,
Charles F. , retains an interest in the old homestead. They have sold a
small portion of this for building sites, and have recently divided more of it
into town lots. It is a valuable property, which has greatly increased in
value with the growth and development of the city.
Mr. Valentine is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal church. He served
his term in the general muster, and is a supporter of the Republican party.
He is a bachelor, is a man of most sterling characteristics, and is progressive
and enterprising, having maintained a lively interest in all that concerns the
welfare of the community. In temperament and manner he is cordial and
genial, and he is held in high esteem in the community where his long and
useful life has been passed.
FREDERICK C. HAVEMEYER.
Frederick C. Havemeyer, the longest surviving son of his father's family,
was born in the city of New York in 1807. At the age of nine years he
entered the classical school conducted by Joseph Nelson, a very popular
instructor familiarly known as the blind teacher. In 1821 he entered Colum-
bia College, where he remained till the completion of the sophomore year,,
obtaining that mental discipline and classical knowledge which so largely
assisted him in mercantile life. His father and uncle had previously estab-
lished a sugar refinery, under the name of W. & F. C. Havemeyer, in Van-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 667
dam street. New York. This establishment he entered as an apprentice and
was formally introduced as such to his uncle by his father. Having obtained
a thorough knowledge of the business, he formed a partnership with his
cousin, William F. Havemeyer, afterward mayor of New York, which con-
tinued till 1842, when both retired from business, and was succeeded by their
brothers, Albert and Diederick. Possessing, at the age of twenty, sufficient
skill and knowledge to conduct the business of a refinery, during all the
years of this co-partnership he worked with his men in every branch of the
business, from passing coal to the furnaces to the highest duties of refining,
becoming an expert in every department; and this experience gave him
immense advantage when, at a future day, under systems not then discov-
ered, it was his destiny to re-enter a business which he then supposed he had
left forever.
His father died in 1841, and then for ten years Mr. Havemeyer devoted
himself to the care of his own and his father's estates. During these years
he made a tour of pleasure and observation through the United States, and
also traveled in Europe. In 1855 he again engaged in active business in
Williamsburg, then a suburb of Brooklyn, and the business then established
was continued with greatly increased facilities. So greatly did it grow that
the capacity of refining was increased five hundred tons of raw sugar a day,
and four thousand barrels of refined sugar were turned out every twenty-four
hours. The consumption of coal was one hundred tons per day, while two
hundred men were employed, and the steam engines represented twenty-two
hundred horse power. Throughout the whole establishment everything was
conducted in the most systematic manner, and a practical man visiting the
establishment was immediately impressed with the magnificient engineering
everywhere present, — the arrangement of the machinery, the closeness of
the connections and arrangements for the cheap and easy handling of the
immense amount of material daily used. There were seventeen steam
engines, many of them of large capacity, and all of modern construction.
In 1 86 1 the firm was composed of Frederick C. Havemeyer, his son
George and Dwight Townsend, under the firm name of Havemeyer & Com-
pany. George Havemeyer was killed by an accident before the close of the
year. He was a young man of brilliant promise and his death was a severe
blow to his father's family. Subsequently Mr. Havemeyer admitted his son,
Theodore A., and his son-in-law, J. Lawrence Elder, as partners, and the
firm name became Havemeyers & Elder. F. C., Theodore A. and H. O.
Havemeyer and Charles H. Senff then constituted the firm.
In January, 1882, the principal buildings of the refinery were destroyed
by fire. A new and more capacious refinery was soon after erected upon an
adjoining site.
668 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Mr. Havemeyer married Sarah L. Osborne, and their children were
Frederick, George W. (deceased), Theodore A., Thomas J., Harry O., Mary
(wife of J. Lawrence Elder), Catharine (wife of L. J. Belloni, Jr.) and Sarah
L. (wife of Frederick Jackson).
DR. ROBERT A. FONES.
Dr. Robert A. Fones, of Yonkers, New York, is a son of Christopher
and Sarah A. (Marigold) Fones and was born at Demorestville, Ontario, Can-
ada, January 4, 1853. His family name denotes his French origin. On
both his father's side and his mother's he is a descendant of French Hugue-
nots. His paternal great-grandfather was an exile to England during the reign
of Louis XIV and afterward became an officer in the English navy. On his
retirement he was given a tract of land, embracing fifteen hundred acres, in
the state of Rhode Island, where the old town of Wickford now stands. His
son Daniel, the grandfather, and Christopher, the father of Robert, were
born on the ancestral acres and the latter married Sarah A. Marigold, of
South Carolinian lineage, also a descendant of French Huguenots.
Christopher Fones was born in 1808 and after acquiring an education
became an architect and builder and operated for some years at Marigold's
Point, Ontario, Canada, having emigrated there, and there he was married.
He became extensively known as a contractor and builder and died in 1875,
aged sixty-seven. His wife, who still lives, having passed her eightieth year,
bore him eleven children, as follows : Dr. Civilian Fones, a prominent
dentist and ex-mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut; Daniel, who died in infancy;
Dr. A. E. Fones, also a dentist, living at Bridgeport, Connecticut; Augusta,
who married Samuel McDonald, a real-estate and insurance agent of Bloom-
field, Canada; Sarah G. , who married Wilbur Parrott, a lawyer of Philadel-
phia, Pennsylvania; Calista, who died at the age of twenty; John H. Fones,
a contractor and builder, of Oakland, California; Dr. Robert A. Fones; Dr.
Charles Fones, a dentist of New York city; Maggie Fones, and Jacob Fones,
deceased.
Dr. Robert A. Fones was graduated in 1875, ^"d took the faculty prize
as honor man of his class. He studied dental surgery under the preceptor-
ship of his brother, Dr. Civilian Fones, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and
began the practice of his profession in Yonkers in 1877. He returned to
Bridgeport in 1879, and in 1882 again located in Yonkers for a short time.
After a year spent in practice in California, he came back to Yonkers, where
he has built up a large and successful practice and enjoys the distinction of
being the oldest dentist in the city. His standing in his profession is very
high and he is a member of various professional organizations, including the
(J^j/yjs2i.^^t^a^z^.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 669-
Connecticut Valley Dental Association. He has always taken a deep inter-
est in athletics and is a member of the Palisade Boat Club, one of the popu-
lar local yacht clubs, and the Yonkers Bicycle Club. As a citizen he has
been as progressive as he has been professionally, and every worthy move-
ment for the public good has had his hearty and generous co-operation. He
has for some years been identified with the Yonkers Board of Trade and has
taken an active part in the work which has been carried on by that body.
Dr. Fones was married, March 31, 1898, to Miss Isadora Lynt, a daugh-
ter of Peter B. and Laura Lynt, of Ardsley, this county.
STEPHEN W. SMITH.
This gentleman is a well-known contractor and builder of White Plains,
New York, of whose skill many notable examples are to be seen at various-
points in this region. Thoroughly reliable in all things, the quality of his
work is a convincing test of his own personal worth, and the same admirable
trait is shown in his conscientious discharge of the duties of different posi-
tions of trust and responsibility to which he has been chosen in business and
political life.
A native of Westchester county, Mr. Smith was born in Harrison, Octo-
ber 13, 1834, and is a son of Thomas Smith, also a native of this county,
who was a farmer by occupation and a son of Joseph Smith. The father
died when our subject was only four years old, leaving a widow and seven
children in rather limited circumstances. The mother, who bore the maiden
name of Freelove Lonsbury, was born in Newburg, New York, on the Hud-
son river, and was a daughter of Isaac Lonsbury. There were eight children
in the family, who lived to years of maturity, namely: Eliza Ann, now
deceased, who was the wife of John Hendrickson; Daniel S., a resident of
White Plains; Mary; Henry L. ; Phebe, wife of W. P. Hamell, of White
Plains; Stephen W. , of this sketch; and Thomas L. , who died in his twenty-
first year.
The first sixteen years of his life Stephen W. Smith spent in Harrison,
New York, where he attended the town school. He then came to White
Plains to learn the carpenter's trade with his brother-in-law, George Smith,
and after serving a four-years apprenticeship he traveled as a journeyman,,
working at his trade in this way for several years. He then started in busi-
ness on his own account as a contractor and builder, and has since erected
many of the best houses at White Plains and also buildings in adjacent
townships.
Mr. Smith was one of the organizers of the building and loan association
of White Plains, and has also been one of its directors since 1888. For four-
670 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
years he was chief of the fire department at that place, which also he was
instrumental in organizing; is a trustee of the Home Savings Bank of White
Plains, and in January, 1898, he was elected commissioner of highways. He
has always taken an active and prominent part in every enterprise calculated
to prove of public good. Socially he is a leading member of White Plains
Lodge, No. 473, F. & A. M., having become identified with that order in
1863. In politics he is a stanch Democrat, and has held several minor
offices. He is now a school trustee at White Plains; has been a member of
the school board for six years; assessor of the village for eight years; village
trustee four years, and collector of taxes for two years. ■
In 1857 Mr. Smith married Miss Sarah E. See, of New York city, the
eldest daughter of Ervin and Susanna See, in whose family were four chil-
dren,— one son and three daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have three chil-
dren: Stephen C. , the eldest, now in partnership with his father, was mar
ried December 29, 1885, to Miss Hattie E. Eggleston, and has had two
children: Hattie Pearl, who died at the age of thirteen months, and Stephen
E., born May i, 1889; Albert H., the second son of Mr. Smith, was born
January 26, 1866, and was married April 25, 1888, to Louise Johns, and
they have one child, Albert Irving, now aged nine years; and Gertrude F.,
the only daughter, is now the wife of William H. Ford and resides in White
Plains. Our subject and his wife have a pleasant home at No. 35 Lexing-
ton avenue, White Plains, where they delight to entertain their many friends
JOHN JAY.
John Jay, sixth son of Peter Jay, was born December 12, 1745, spent his
boyhood at Rye and New Rochelle, and was admitted to the bar in 1768.
On April 28, 1774, he married Sarah, daughter of William Livingston, after-
ward governor of New Jersey. He soon took a foremost position in the poli-
tics of the country and was prominent in the debates of the first and second
continental congresses. In 1779 he was appointed chief justice of the state
of New York. In 1778 he was elected president of congress. In 1779 he
was sent as minister to Spain, and thence, in 1780, went to Paris as commis-
sioner to assist in the negotiation of a treaty of peace with Great Britain.
He returned to New York in 1784, after an absence of five years, and was
received with tokens of esteem and admiration. December 21, 1784, he was
appointed by congress secretary for foreign affairs, and held the office for five
years. He was one of the contributors to "The Federalist." In 1789 he
was appointed chief justice of the United States, — an office which he was the
the first to fill. In 1794 he was sent as special minister to London, upon a
delicate and most important mission, relating to difficulties growing out of
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 671
unsettled boundaries and certain commercial complications. He discharged
this duty with great ability, and upon his return to America, in 1795, was
elected by a large majority governor of the state of New York. At the end of
three years he was re-elected, and at the expiration of a second term was solic-
ited to become a candidate for election a third time. But he had determined
to renounce public life, and though nominated again, in 1800, to the office of
chief justice of the United States, declined the honor and retired to his
paternal estate, at Bedford, a property which was a part of the Van Cortlandt
estate, and which his father had acquired by marriage to Mary, a daughter
of Jacobus Van Cortlandt. There for twenty-eight years he lived a peaceful
and honored life. In 1827 he was seized with- severe illness, and, after two
years of weakness and suffering, was struck with palsy, May 14, 1829, and
died three days afterward. He was buried in the family cemetery at Rye.
His public reputation as a patriot and statesman of the Revolution was sec-
ond only to that of Washington, and his private character as a man and a
Christian is singularly free from stain or blemish.
John Clarkson Jay, M. D., eldest son of Peter Augustus Jay, was born
September 11, 1808, and married Laura, daughter of Nathaniel Prime. He
was the proprietor of the estate at Rye, and was the well known representa-
tive of the family in Westchester county. After a thorough preparation in
schools, among which were those of the blind teacher, Mr. Nelson, and the
McCuUoch school at Morristown, New York, he entered Columbia College,
at which he graduated, together with the late secretary of state, Hamilton
Fish, and many other distinguished men, in the class of 1827. In 1831 he
took his degree as M. D. He was a deep student of natural history, espe-
cially of conchology, and the valuable collection of shells formerly in his
possession, which is now in the New York Museum of Natural History, hav-
ing been purchased by Miss Wolf and presented to that institution by her, in
memory of her father, has the reputation of being the finest in the country.
On this branch Dr. Jay wrote several pamphlets, among which are the fol-
lowing: Catalogue of Recent Shells, etc.; New York, 1835, 8vo., pp. 56;
Description of New and Rare Shells, with four plates; New York, 1836, 2d
ed., pp. 78; A Catalogue, etc., together with a Description of New and Rare
Species; New York, pp. 125, 4to., ten plates. The article on shells in the
narrative of Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan, is also by him. He
was connected with many prominent literary and social organizations both in
Westchester county and in the city of New York, where he spent much of his
time. He was for many years a trustee of Columbia College, and at two
different periods served as trustee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons
of the City of New York. He was one of the founders and at one time
recording secretary of the New York Yacht Club, the annals of which will
672 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
show the hvely interest which he took in its management and general affairs.
The records of the New York Lyceum of Natural History, now known as the
New York Academy of Natural Sciences, will exhibit the interest manifested
by him in that most useful organization.
Dr. Jay was an Episcopalian, and was connected for many years with
Christ Church at Rye, of which he was warden. He was well known
throughout Westchester county, where he was so long greatly appreciated for
his social and literary qualities.
These and many other iilustrious names have adorned the history of the
Jay family in America, the members of which have ever been faithful to their
country, faithful to their religion and faithful to themselves. Their residence
there has added luster to Westchester county, and their noble influence will
be remembered while American history continues to be read.
INGERSOLL F. KNOWLTON.
Ingersoll F. Knowlton, one of the representative and highly esteemed
citizens of North Castle township, where he is successfully engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits and milling, has been a resident of Westchester county. New
York, since 1863, and has been prominently identified with its best interests.
He is a native of Connecticut, born in Fairfield county, December 7, 1840,
and belongs to one of the most distinguished families of early colonial days,
several of its members being prominent officers in the Indian and Revolu-
tionary wars. These include his great-grandfather. Colonel Daniel Knowl-
ton, who saved the life of General Putnam in 1757 during the French and
Indian war, and his great-uncle, Colonel Thomas Knowlton, whose statue
adorns the grounds of the state capitol at Hartford, Connecticut. Our sub-
jeci;'s parents were Rev. Farnham and Sarah (Ingersoll) Knowlton, the latter
a daughter of Simon Ingersoll, and the children born to this worthy couple
were, in order of birth: Sarah, deceased; Miner N., who served with distinc-
tion as a major in the civil war and is now a resident of Chicago; George;.
Ingersoll F. ; and Mrs. Emily Hoyt. The mother died in 1853, and after
long surviving her the father passed away in 1880.
The subject of this review received his education at the Literary Institute
at Suffield, Connecticut, and for a time he successfully followed the teach-
er's profession. November 17, 1862, he was appointed an assistant engineer
by the Hon. Gideon Welles, then secretary of the United States Navy. Mr.
Knowlton was in the memorable engagement of Admiral Farragut in Mobile
bay, where the Confederate ram Atlanta was captured, and the United States
iron-clad Tecumseh was sunk by a torpedo of the enemy.
At the close of the war he resigned his position. He now resides ia
J^^-^^rT^ ^ /f^^uo.^^
^7>o
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 678
Armonk, Westchester county, on his own estate, on which is still standing
the small house in which Major Andre was held a prisoner one night, after
his capture with dispatches from Benedict Arnold.
In 1863 Mr. Knowlton married Miss Carrie S. Carpenter, a daughter of
Jacob B. and Hannah (Sands) Carpenter, and by this union he had three
children: Sarah; and J. Everett and Jacob C, both of whom died at the
age of thirty years. The wife and mother was called to her final rest in
1867, and Mr. Knowlton was again married, February 13, 1872, his second
union being with Miss Hannah Carpenter, a daughter of Rees Carpenter, a
prominent citizen of Westchester county. She traces her ancestry back to
Richard Carpenter, who lived and died in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England.
William, his son, came to America previously to 1636 and settled in Rhode
Island, with Roger Williams. Joseph, son of William, removed to Long
Island and bought a tract of land of the Indians near Glen Cove. Nathaniel,
son of Joseph, married Tamer Coles and removed to North Castle, near
Armonk. His son, Timothy, was the first white child born in this county,
which so pleased the Indians that they gave it one hundred acres of land in
Byram valley. He married Phebe Coles. Timothy's son, also named Tim-
othy, married Hannah Ferris, a daughter of John Ferris, of Bedford. His
son, William, remained on the homestead and married Deborah Cocks, in
1788, and their son, Rees, was born in 1789, and married Miss Sarah Bow-
ron, a daughter of William and Mary (Story) Bowron, and they became the
parents of five children, namely: Jacob, who died at the age of fifty-eight
years; David, a resident of New Castle, this county; Phebe, deceased wife of
I. H. Hoag; Freelove, who was the second wife of I. G. Hoag, and died in
1893; and Hannah, wife of our subject. The father of these children, one
of the leading and highly respected citizens of his community, died at the
ripe old age of eighty-two years. He was a member of the Society of
Friends, a Republican in politics, and served as supervisor of his township
for many years. Mr. Knowlton and his family are also identified with the
Society of Friends, and have the esteem and confidence of all who know
them.
LEWIS C. POPHAM.
Lewis C. Popham, youngest child of William Sherbrook Popham, was
born on the old homestead in Scarsdale, April 15, 1833. Receiving his edu-
cation at the well-known school of Rev. Dr. Harris, at White Plains, he
joined his father in business, and in due time succeeded to it and the family
estate. Besides carrying on his large business interests in New York city, he
has been for the last sixteen years justice of the peace of the town of Scars-
dale. He is of an exceedingly social disposition and justly reckoned among
43
674 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
the most popular citizens of Westchester county. He married Annie J.,
daughter of Alexander Flemming, of Bellows Falls, Vermont. Their chil-
dren are Emma A. (wife of Cornelius B. Fish), Alice H., Annie F. , Alex-
ander F. and Louise C.
Mr. Popham still resides in the old homestead, which was built by his
grandfather. Major Popham, in 1783. It adjoins the Morris property and is
rich in its collection of antiques, bric-a-brac and old paintings. A portion of
the tea-set presented to Major Popham by General Washington is still in
possession of the family.
SAMUEL W. PALMER.
Samuel W. Palmer, an honored citizen of Armonk, North Castle town-
ship, and one of the brave defenders of the Union during the trying days of
the civil war, is a native of Westchester county, born in North Castle, August
8, 1838, and is a son of Samuel R. and Eliza (Wykoff) Palmer, representa-
tives of old and prominent families of this region. His parents and grand-
parents were also natives of this county, and his maternal grandfather was a
soldier of the Revolutionary war. The father, who was a blacksmith by
trade, died in 1844, at the early age of thirty-eight years, and the mother
departed this life, in i860, at the age of fifty-seven. Both were earnest,
consistent Christian people, the former a member of the Friends' church, the
latter of the Reformed church.' In their family were four sons, who reached
years of maturity, and three were among the " boys in blue" in the war of
the Rebellion. Besides our subject, the others were John, who was wounded
in the service, and is now a resident of Copnecticut; Henry, who was cor-
poral in the First New York Mounted Rifles; and Charles, who died in 1894.
Samuel W. Palmer grew to manhood in his native township and acquired
his education in its public schools. During his youth he also learned the shoe-
maker's trade, which he successfully followed for many years. In Septem-
ber, 1862, however, he laid aside all personal interests and enlisted in Com-
pany I, First New York Mounted Rifles, under command of Captain Thomas
Farrgraves and Colonel Dodge. The regiment was assigned to the Army of
the James, and was under General Benjamin F. Butler for a time. They
participated in many battles and skirmishes of note, were in the siege of
Suffolk, and were in several fights with General Mosby's troopers and bush-
whackers. Although he entered the service as private, Mr. Palmer was pro-
moted by gallant conduct to the rank of corporal, and later as sergeant, of
Company I. The war being over, and his services no longer needed, he was
honorably discharged at City Point, Virginia, in December, 1865, and was
paid off and mustered out at Albany, New York.
Mr. Palmer has been twice married, his first wife being Jane Tucker,
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 675
and after her death he wedded Clarissa Demorest. Politically he is an ardent
Republican, and socially is an honored member of Cromwell Post, No. 466,
G. A. R., of White Plains; Mount Kisco Lodge, No. 708, F. & A. M. ; and
Hebron Lodge, No. 229, L O. O. F., of White Plains. Both he and his wife
are leading members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Armonk, of which
he is one of the trustees, and they take quite an active and prominent part
in all church work. His loyalty as a citizen and his devotion to his coun-
try's interests have ever been among his marked characteristics, and the com-
munity is fortunate that numbers him among its citizens.
LOCKWOOD REYNOLDS.
Lockwood Reynolds, of Croton Lake, Somers township, Westchester
county, New York, was born on the old homestead, January 15, 1854, and is
of Puritan stock, tracing his ancestry back to their arrival in this country on
the Mayflower. His immediate progenitors were Lockwood Reynolds, Sr. ,
his father, and James Reynolds, his grandfather. His father was a native of
this county, born in Salem, October 14, 1804, and died at the age of seventy-
seven years, November 3, 1881. His wife, Hester Ann, nee Baker, was born
in Somers, this county, August 31, 1807, and died August 23, 1886. They
both passed away on the old homestead farm.
Lockwood Reynolds, of this sketch, grew to manhood on this farm, and
attended the public schools. October 24, 1871, he was united in wedlock, to
Miss Mariah Dunscomb, a native of Flushing, Long Island, and a student in
Bedford Academy. She is a daughter of Garrett and Catherine K. (Brooks)
Dunscomb and a granddaughter of Edward and Mary (Abell) Dunscomb, of
England. Garrett and Catherine Dunscomb were residents of Croton Lake,
where he was an iron merchant and died at the age of fifty-two years, June
23, 1869. His wife died August 14, 1852, at the age of thirty years. He
was a Republican in his political affiliations. To Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds
have been born five children, as follows: Elizabeth D., who lives with her
parents; Josephine M., the wife of Edward B. Rear; Melville, Florence A.
and Charles H. The family are communicants of the Methodist Episcopal
church, while in politics Mr. Reynolds is a Republican.
DAVID J. ROBERTS, M. D.
The gentleman to whose life history we call attention at this point in
this series of biographical sketches, Dr. David J. Roberts, of New Rochelle,
is a good representative of the medical profession in the " Empire state."
Dr. Roberts is a native of New York, born in Waterville, Oneida county.
676 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
October 4, 1856, in which county his father and mother, Thomas and Sarah
(Jones) Roberts, were born. The Roberts family trace their origin to
England. Several generations, however, have been residents of America.
Thomas Roberts, the father of our subject, was for many years a miller at
Waterville. On his mother's side Dr. Roberts is of Welsh descent and his
mother was a daughter of Elias Jones.
In his native town Dr. Roberts spent his youthful days and received
his early education in its public schools, completing his studies in the
Waterville Academy in 1876 and graduating. Choosing the medical pro-
fession for his life work, he entered upon his studies for the same in the
office of Dr. W.W. Blackner, of Brooklyn, New York, and subsequeatly be-
came a student in the New York Homeopathic Hospital College, at which
institution he graduated with the class of 1886. Afterward he spent one year
in Ward's Island Hospital, where he still further prepared himself for his
professional duties. At the end of that year he engaged in a general practice
in New York city, but remained there only a short time and in 1887 came to
New Rochelle, where he has since conducted a successful practice, his genial,
sympathetic manner together with his skill as a physician having brought
him into favor with all who have required his services, and he has the confi-
dence and respect of all who know him.
Dr. Roberts is identified with numerous fraternal organizations, and is
a member of the American Institute of Homeopathy; New York State Society,
of which in 1897 he was vice-president; the Westchester County Medical
Society, of which he was president in 1897; New York Pathological Society;
National Society of Therapeutics; Hahnemannian, of which he is vice-presi-
dent; president of the Chiron Club of Physicians; and the Metropolitan Hos-
pital Alumni Association, of which he is treasurer.
JOHN F. HUNTER, M. D.
Dr. John F. Hunter, the leading physician of Mamaroneck, was born
March 16, 1865, in this village. His father, Francis Hunter, is a native of
France, was a lieutenant in the army of that country, and came to America
when a young man, settling in New Rochelle, New York, and later here at
Mamaroneck, where he died May 30, 1898. He married Catharine Mulli-
gan, who is a native of county Monaghan, Ireland, and is now sixty-three
years of age.
Dr. Hunter, their only child, grew up and was educated in his native
village, attending the public schools and St. John's College, at Fordham,
New York. At the age of nineteen he was matriculated at the Bellevue
Hospital Medical College, in New York city, made himself conscientiously
'T'/ .^^'t^C^<,ycZZ^^
» '
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 677
thorough in the prescribed three-years curriculum of the institution, and
graduated in 1889. Added to this, he also studied for two years in the
Northwestern Dispensary, and was assistant surgeon under Dr. George
Thompson, professor of diseases of women, and an eminent practitioner of
general surgery. Then he opened an office in New York city and zealously
followed his profession for two years, enjoying a splendid practice. Over-
work, however, brought upon him a weakened condition, which compelled
him to leave the city, in 1891, when he chose Mamaroneck for his new and
more healthful residence, and since then he has been engaged in continuous
practice, in partnership with Dr. Joseph Hoffman until his death, June
20, 1892.
In politics the Doctor is a stanch and active Democrat, both in town and
county, but has never been willing to accept office. He is a member of
Apawamos Lodge, No. 800, F. & A. M. ; of Golden Cross Lodge, L O. O. F.,
and of the orders of Red Men and Foresters; and in religion he is a member
of the Catholic church. This large-hearted, broad-minded, genial and whole-
souled man is very popular, and, we repeat, the leading physician of
Mamaroneck.
He was united in marriage with Miss Madeline Baron, of New York, and
they have one daughter, whom they have named Jessie.
CHARLES E. HARTSHORN.
One of the prominent citizens of Yonkers for the past eight years has
been the gentleman whose name forms the heading of this biography. He
built and owns a handsome residence at Belvidere place, it having been con-
structed after plans drawn up by himself. He is a Republican and takes an
aggressive part in local affairs, especially in such as pertain to the improve-
ment of his own section of the city. Many important changes for the better
in the condition of streets, sewers, etc., have been made through the persist-
ent efforts of Mr. Hartshorn and a few other leading citizens, banded
together under the name of the Yonkers Improvement Association, which
society was founded largely through his influence. At the same time he is
chairman of the executive committee of the South Yonkers Improvement
Association. Always a worker in the party of his choice, he has often been
sent as a delegate to various nominating committees, and at present he is a
member of the executive committee of his ward.
Charles Edward Hartshorn, Sr., was born in Ulster county. New York,
August 12, 18 1 7. For over thirty years he was extensively engaged in the
manufacture of various appliances and supplies for lire departments, includ-
ing engines, trucks, ladders, etc. He is the inventor and patentee of the
678 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
extension ladder, with endless chain, now in use in all civilized countries in
the world. Many other devices which have been in general use for years in
the fire departments of cities, here and abroad, were patented by him, and
for a long period he supplied New York city with all of its equipment in this
line. The Hartshorn horse truck, which supplanted the old-style hand
truck, was also his idea. His place of business was at 1 19-12 1 Walker
street, New York city. Formerly he was an active Democratic partisan, but
though he was often urged to accept public ofBce he persistently refused
such honor. He was solicited to become a candidate for alderman, and just
prior to the election of the mayor he was tendered the candidacy for the
legislature, and, as usual, he refused both. For years an active Odd Fellow,
he lived to be the oldest living past master of Manhattan Lodge, No. 62.
This lodge, one of the oldest in the state of New York, was organized in
1824. A member of the Knights of St. John, he had the honor of wearing
the Red Chapter colors of that order. After 1873 he was retired from active
business, and until a short time before his death, when his daughter was
married, he resided in Brooklyn, and after that he lived with her in Peekskill,
New York. In religious work, as in everything in which he was interested,
he was very prominent and zealous. For years he was identified with the
Methodist Episcopal church, and occupied about all the official positions of
the local society. He married, in 1845, Mary Jane Munday, and in 1895
they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. Of their ten children all
but the eldest-born, Mary Elizabeth, who died in infancy, lived to mature
years. Emma is the wife of Matthew J. Le Fever, a wholesale meat dealer
in Peekskill; William A., deceased, was connected with the Park National
Bank of New York city; Samuel L., deceased, was employed in the Sixth
National Bank in the same city; Katie I., whose death occurred in 1895,
was the wife of Oran J. Lederer, of Peekskill; Frank O. is the proprietor of
Washington Market in Yonkers; Anna is the wife of William H. Ingham, of
this city, who is employed by a large piano house of New York city; David
O. is the next in order of birth, and Ida is the wife of Stephen A. Peene, of
the Yonkers Steam Laundry.
Charles Edward Hartshorn, Jr., was born December i, 1846, in New
York city, and until he was sixteen years old he attended the public schools
and academies of that place. He was in business with his father until 1872,
when he opened a dry-goods and house-furnishing establishment at Nos. 250
and 252 Carroll street. Here he made a specialty of equipping institutions
with beds and bedding, clothing, etc., and continued in this line for some
three or four years, after which he commenced importing needles and
scissors, notions, etc., and gave his attention to this branch of business for
nine or ten years. Since that he has been occupied as before, in the furnish-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 679
ing of supplies to institutions of various kinds, and in the taking of contracts
for the repair and construction of public buildings. His business is not
merely local, but has often extended into adjacent counties. In addition to
his regular line he has been awarded contracts for furnishing supplies to the
navy, and has met with marked success in his enterprises. He is a member
of Manhattan Lodge, of New York city, the one with which his father has
been so long associated, and he is a member of the Lowerre Hose Company
of Yonkers. Religiously, he is a member of the Reformed church.
The marriage of C. E. Hartshorn, Jr., and Miss Harriet E. Smith, of
New York city, was solemnized on the i6th of October, 1872. Mrs. Harts-
horn's father, Jeremiah H. Smith, was engaged in the crockery and queens-
ware business in the metropolis for a number of years. The only child of
Mr. and Mrs. Hartshorn is Prescott Barker, a traveling salesman and a most
exemplary young man in every respect. Judging by what he has already
achieved his future is one of great promise, and his parents have just occa-
sion to be proud of him.
CHARLES HENRY HEINSOHN.
A very energetic and successful business man and a patriotic citizen is
the subject of this record, he being a resident of Mount Vernon, Westches-
ter county. For seventeen years he has been a trusted employee of the
Carroll Box & Lumber Company, one of the largest lumber concerns and ex-
porters of greater New York, rising from a position as office-boy to a place
which is as responsible as any in the business. Since October, 1891, he has
been connected with the Mount Vernon fire department, of which, in July,
1898, he was appointed chief. His first service was for the Washington
Engine Company, with which he continued for several years, being its sec-
retary for four years, at the end of which period he was elected to the posi-
tion of second assistant chief of the city fire department. Subsequently, the
Fire Commissioners appointed him to the place of first assistant chief, and
his next promotion was to the responsible office he now holds, with great
credit. The department, which is one of volunteers, comprises two hundred
and eighty members, divided into nine companies. They have one steam
engine, two hand engines and all the latest equipments in general commonly
employed. The Mount Vernon fire department is the best volunteer depart-
ment in the state. A large share of praise is accorded Chief Heinsohn for
the energetic, practical methods he employs and advocates, and his devotion
to his duties, which are not light. The state reports show that the fire losses
of this town within recent years has been but eight per cent, of the value of
property involved, which speaks well for the efficiency of our volunteer fire
department and its able officers.
680 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
The Heinsohns are primarily [rom Hanover, Germany, but the father of
our subject, Carsten Henry Heinsohn, was born in Hanover and came to this
country from London when a lad of twelve years. He became a resident of
New York city and for eight or ten years was engaged in the grocery busi-
ness at the corner of Thirty-seventh street and Eighth avenue. Later he
embarked in the confectionery trade, but during his last years he was retired
and lived in Hoboken, New Jersey. His death occurred December 5, 1874,
when he was fifty-eight years of age. His widow, whose girlhood name was
Christina Beck, is still living. Mr. Heinsohn was a Republican in politics
and in religion was a Lutheran. In his family were two daughters, — Mrs. J.
B. Lotz and Mrs. William Schmidt. The latter is the wife of the president
of the Stock Brewery of San Francisco, and one of their sons married a
daughter of Senator Perkins, of California. William, the eldest son of C.
H. Heinsohn, Sr. , is in partnership with his brother, Richard, in the hard-
ware business in Mount Vernon, the firm being known as that of Heinsohn
Brothers.
The birth of Charles H. Heinsohn took place in New York city, July
22, 1863. He graduated from the public schools of the metropolis in 1877,
and for the following three years was employed in a jewelry-manufacturing
business. He then studied law for one year, under Henry W. Gould, sec-
retary of the Richmond Land Company, and in 1881 entered the employ of
the Carroll Box & Lumber Company, with whom he has since continued,
working upward by rapid promotions, from errand boy to tally clerk, shipping
clerk (in which capacity he served for eight years), superintendent of the
yards and outside salesman and superintendent. At no time did he ever re-
quest a better position or an increase in salary, but his genuine worth to the
firm and his manifest ability brought their reward in the esteem of the com-
pany and in material recognition thereof. Among his other financial inter-
ests, he is a member of -the New York & Suburban Building & Loan Associa-
tion.
In fraternal circles Mr. Heinsohn is deservedly popular. He is fond of
athletics, particularly of bowHng, at which he is an expert. He belongs to
various local clubs and is connected with the Hiawatha Lodge of the F. &
A. M. ; Zetland Chapter, R. A. M. , and Exempt Firemen's Association, of
New York, etc. Politically, he is a stanch Republican, as was his father be-
fore him.
JOHN EMBREE.
One of the old families of Westchester county is represented by the gen-
tleman whose name heads this sketch. His grandfather Embree came here
from England at an early period and engaged in agricultural pursuits in this
cf^rUM, Su-ij^jLM^
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WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 631
county as long as he lived. Of his three sons, Lewis, John and Samuel, the
latter, born at West Farms, Westchester county, was the father of John
Embree, of whom we write. He was a life-long farmer, and for years owned
a valuable homestead comprising one hundred acres, it being situated, in
part, within the present limits of the city of Yonkers, in the seventh ward.
During the war of 1812 he was called into service and was ready for action
whenever he should be required. He was a Whig, politically, and in religious
faith was an Episcopalian. Death came to him as the result of falling from
a wagon, his injuries being severe and terminating fatally. The death of his
wife, whose> maiden name was Catherine Garrison, took place when she was
in her sixty-first year. They were the parents of ten children, namely:
Stephen, James, Mary Blount, Isaac, John, Robert, William, Emmanuel,
Elizabeth Leeds and Susan Reed.
John Embree was born in Yonkers, November 6, 1821, and attended the
district schools of this city. Having gained a liberal education, he devoted
his time to farming and remained with his father until he was twenty-eight
years of age. Then entering a different line of business entirely, he built
Main, Orchard, Washington and many other important streets in Yonkers,
and up to 1870 was associated with his brother Robert as a partner. From
the year mentioned until some time in 1 871, he was again occupied
in agricultural pursuits at Yorktown, Westchester county, after which he
established his present grocery. He bought and built his present store prop-
erty and has since successfully conducted a grocery business, in which his son
Ethelbert B. is now associated with him. Also, for fifteen years he has been
a director of the People's Savings Bank of Yonkers. By excellent practical
methods and general reliability he has won the confidence of all who know
him, and his warmest friends are numbered among his customers of years'
standing. Formerly he was identified with the Democratic party, but he is
now somewhat independent of party lines, choosing to give his allegiance to
the men and platform which most nearly express his views at the time of
election. Religiously, he is a consistent Christian, a member of the First
Methodist Episcopal church of Yonkers.
On the 6th of November, 1848, Mr. Embree married Miss Sarah Roake,
a daughter of Joseph Roake, who was a farmer and carpenter of Yorktown,
Westchester county, and who is still living, being now in the ninety-third year
of his age. The three children of Mr. and Mrs. Embree are Joseph R., who
is carrying on a successful livery business in this city; Ethelbert B., who is in
the grocery business with his father; and Kate L. , wife of William B. Lull, a
jeweler in New York city, but whose home is in Yonkers. Mrs. Embree is
now sixty-seven years of age, and, with her husband, is entering upon a peace-
682 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
ful, contented old age, blessed in the thought of the good that has been
accomplished through their united, unostentatious efforts to benefit and help
their fellow-men.
JAMES SLADE.
A representative citizen and leading business man of Yonkers for a
period of nearly forty years is James Slade, superintendent of the Yonkers
Gas Company, one of the largest and most flourishing concerns of the kind
in the state of New York. He is also extensively interested in .real estate, —
business and residence property, — and has done much toward the upbuilding
and beautifying of the city.
Born December 22, 1836, James Slade is a son of George and Catherine
(Vincent) Slade. Bath, Somersetshire, England, was the place of his birth,
and in that section of the British isles several generations of his ancestors
resided. George Slade, whose occupation in life was that of a forester and
sawyer, lived and died in Somersetshire, as did also his father, Jesse Slade.
To the union of our subject's parents six children were born, namely: George,
Elizabeth, Eliza, James, Stephen and Edward. The father died at the age
of forty-four years, and the mother lived to attain her sixty-fifth year. Three
of the sons and one daughter came to the United States.
Having completed his common-school education, James Slade took a
position as a clerk in a store, and in 1855 came to this country. After
clerking for three years in the city of New York, he removed to Lynchburg,
Virginia, and finally, in i860, he became a permanent resident of Yonkers,
and the same year witnessed his first connection with the Yonkers Gas Com-
pany. The output of the gas plant at that time was from thirty to thirty-
five thousand cubic feet a day, whereas, at present nine hundred thousand
feet a day are produced. Employment is given to a large number of men,
frequently being over one hundred at one time. Business is rapidly increas-
ing, and gas is being used more and more for fuel, on account of its conven-
ience and cheapness, it being furnished to the consumer at one dollar and
thirty-five cents a thousand feet, while formerly the rate paid was five dollars
and seventy-five cents a thousand. The gas plant is modern and well equipped
in every particular and is valued at one million and a quarter of dollars.
The company has absorbed three other competing ones, — the Westchester
Gas Company, the Municipal Gas Company, and the Strong Fuel Gas Com-
pany, and continues to use their holders. The company supplies Spuyten
Duyvil, Mount St. Vincent, Kingsbridge, Woodlawn, Riverdale, Yonkers,
and points as far north as Hastings. For fifteen or sixteen years Mr. Slade
has been one of the directors in the gas company, being among the longest
on the board, in fact, having served longer than all save one, Robert P.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 683
Getty. The other directors are WilHam Warburton Scrugham, president,
Harold Brown, Henry K. Bangs, Alfred Jones, William Robinson, Alexander
Smith Cochran, and Samuel D. Babcock. The offices of the company are
at the corner of Wells street and North Broadway.
To the excellent business management and careful personal supervision
of James Slade much of the success which the Yonkers Gas Company enjoys
must be attributed. He is an able financier and has made investments, on
his own account, in real estate, tenements, business property and residences
in this city and elsewhere, and with few exceptions he has made a distinct
success of his undertakings. Socially he is a member of the Knights of Hon-
or. Politically he is a stanch Republican, and in local affairs votes for the
man whom he considers best qualified for any office. In religious faith he is
an Episcopalian, but he attends the Baptist church.
In 1864 Mr. Slade married Miss Mary Nolan, and they have four sons,
of whom they have reason to be proud. Richmond E. is superintendent of
the Gas & Electric Company at White Plains, New York. He is a graduate
of Columbia College, married a Miss Wiggins and has two children. Clif-
ford L. , the second son, is superintendent of the gas and electric light plant
at Port Chester, New York. Foster C, a graduate of Cornell College, and
a mechanical engineer, now in the employ of James R. Floyd's Sons, mechan-
ical engineers and contractors, of New York city. Harvey is now attending
Columbia College, is in the school of arts, and is a member of the class of
1899-
JAMES BROWN ODELL.
Thirty years ago this well and favorably known merchant of Yonkers
embarked in the grocery business here, and during this period the volume of
his trade has increased until it is now equaled by few houses in this line in
Westchester county. Industry and strict attention to business rarely fail to
bring success in some degree, but additional qualities, almost amounting to
genius, seem essential to great prosperity, and certainly Mr. Odell possesses
marked ability as a financier. While he has devoted his time and energies
to the building up and management of his large business, he has never failed
in his duties as a citizen. During the war of the Rebellion he served in the
Union army as a member of Company H, Seventeenth New York militia.
Politically he supports the Republican platform, and is quite active in the
advancement of the interests of his party. In Grand Army circles he is well
known and deservedly popular, his membership having been with Fremont
Post, No. 590.
The Odells are old and honored residents of Westchester county.
Joshua Odell, the great-great-grandfather of James B. Odell, of this sketch,.
€84 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
was born November 4, 1707, and his wife, Sarah, was born August 2, 1713.
Their son, born May 2, 1733, was christened Joshua. His home was on a
farm now comprised in Mount Hope cemetery, then called the Odell farm, and
there he resided until death. He married Mary Vincent and their children were
John, Abraham, Joseph, James, Isaac, Daniel, SarahTuttle, and Abigail Under-
bill. The father was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and later espoused
the principles of the old Democratic party. His son James, the grandfather
of our subject, was born in the town of Greenburg, on the ancestral home-
stead (Mount Hope cemetery) December 13, 1775. Following in the foot-
steps of his patriotic father, he tendered his services in the second war with
Great Britain, and was for a short time in the American army, as a private.
He owned a small farm in the town of Greenburg, and was a weaver by
trade. In 1809 he built a house for his family upon his property, which
■domicile is still standing, and, at the end of the ninety years intervening, is
in a fair state of preservation. Mr. Odell was not only a farmer but was
also a weaver of cloth and blankets, and was quite skillful in that trade.
Very active in religious enterprise, he was one of the founders of the First
Presbyterian church of Dobbs Ferry. For his wife he chose Elizabeth Odell,
who, though having the same surname, came from another branch of the
family. Their children were as follows: Mary McKenny, born August 23,
1800; Isaac, October 28, 1802; Daniel, August 21, 1804; Ann Foster, March
16, 1807; Benjamin, February 26, 1809; Lawrence, June 20, 1812; Eliza,
-August 7, 1814; Susan Wood, December 12, 1816; Jane, November 26, 1819;
Caroline Keeler, August 24, 1822; and Harriet A. Keeler, July 13, 1827.
Eliza died unmarried, and of the entire family only Mrs. Jane Wilsea survives.
The parents of James B. Odell were Isaac and Bertha (Corwin) Odell,
the former a native of the town of Greenburg, this county, and the latter of
Long Island. The father was born October 28, 1802, and spent his whole
Jife in the vicinity of his birthplace. He was a carpenter by trade, and was
-quite successful as a business man. He was summoned to the silent land in
1842, when just at the prime of life, and was buried in the cemetery at Dobbs
Ferry. In religious creed he was a Presbyterian, as was his father before
him, and in political faith he, too, was a Democrat. His widow survived
-him for more than half a century, her demise occurring in 1895, when she
was in her eighty-third year. Their five children were Mary A. ; James B. ;
John F., deceased; WiUiam H.; and Caroline, who died at the age of eight
years. Mary A. is the wife of Leonard W. Elliott, for thirty years
a member of the New York police force, and now retired and a resi-
dent of Yonkers. William H. , also a citizen of this place, is an expert
mechanical engineer, and is a member of the American Society of Civil
Engineers.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 685-
James Brown Odell was educated in the public schools of the town of
Greenburg, and served an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade, which
calling he followed for about ten years. Then for three years he operated an
engine in a machine shop, and in 1868, in company with Henry B. Jones, he
started in the grocery business in Yonkers. At the expiration of four years
Mr. Odell purchased his partner's interest in the business, and soon after-
ward became associated with John J. Littebrandt, formerly one of his clerks.
The firm have ever since carried on the business under the style of Odell &
Littebrandt. They now employ seven clerks and keep constantly in requi-
sition five delivery wagons. From small proportions their trade, exclusively
retail in character, has grown until the annual transactions have reached an
average aggregate of one hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Odell is a member
of the Yonkers board of trade and is the executor of the Barnes estate, the
property of the late Reuben Barnes, father of his wife. For a score of years
he has been one of the trustees of the First Methodist Episcopal church of
Yonkers, and has long held membership in this congregation.
The first marriage of Mr. Odell was solemnized November 5, 1859, when
Mary A., daughter of Leander Hodges, became his bride. She died May 19,
1864, aged twenty-four years. They became the parents of two children, —
George F., to whom individual reference is made elsewhere in this work;,
and Ada King, who died May 2, 1864, aged two and one-half years. Mrs.
Odell's maternal grandfather, Stephen Battison, was born in 1740, and
resided at Georgetown, Connecticut. He was aide-de-camp on the staff of
a general during the war of the Revolution. His wife lived to attain'
remarkable longevity, her death occurring when she had reached the
venerable age of ninety-nine years. Leander Hodges was born in George-
town, Connecticut, and came to Yonkers in the '40s. Here he became quite
influential and prominent in business, political and church circles. For some
time he represented the second ward as alderman in the city council. Very
zealous and devoted in the cause of religion, he was prominently identified
with the First Methodist Episcopal church of this city, and, having prepared"
himself for the ministry, he was enabled to wield a distinct and valuable
influence as a local preacher and exhorter. He married Sarah Burt and they
became the parents of two children, — Mary A., who became the wife of Mr.
Odell, and George J.
On the i8th of October, 1870, James B. Odell consummated a second
marriage, being then united to Miss Martha Barnes, daughter of Reuben and
Mary (Hodge) Barnes, of Yonkers. Her father was one of the honored and
prominent citizens of Yonkers for many years, having located here in 1852.
To him and his wife more detailed consideration is given on other pages of
this compilation. Mrs. Odell entered into eternal rest on the 21st of June,.
6S6 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
1894, leaving two daughters, — Gertrude Wilhelmina, who was a successful
teacher in the public schools of Yonkers, and who was married April 20,
1899, to Mr. B. Eugene Sperry, of Ridgefield, Connecticut; and Mary L.,
who still remains at the paternal home, on Hawthorne avenue.
CHARLES R. CRISFIELD.
Among the representative business men of Yonkers, New York, is found
the subject of this sketch, Charles R. Crisfield, who dates his birth at this
place December 7, 1840, and is a son of English parents, John and Martha
(Beale) Crisfield.
About 1830 John Crisfield, accompanied by his wife and two children,
emigrated to this country, making the voyage in a sailing vessel and being
seven weeks on the sea. Landing in New York city, he took up his abode
there and began life in the New World as a dry-goods peddler. Later he
opened a store in New York and in connection with it ran a wagon, selling
goods throughout the adjacent part of Westchester county. His location
was first on Canal street and later in Harlem, and at length he came to Yonk-
ers and engaged in the hotel business, opening the Squangum House on
North Broadway, where William Welsh's store is now situated. He was
subsequently engaged in the dry-goods business at Saugerties, New York,
and later he returned to Yonkers, and on a tract of twenty-three acres,
which he had previously purchased, opposite Caryl station, for one thousand
dollars, he built a residence. The taxes upon this property at that time
were only four dollars and eighty cents. Afterward he sold thirteen acres to
Mr. St. Vincent, for seven hundred dollars per acre, and in 1898 the heirs
disposed of the remainder of the property, ten acres, for sixty thousand dol-
lars; and, as showing the increase in the valuation of this property, it may
be stated that that year the taxes were six hundred dollars. After his return
to Yonkers, Mr. Crisfield engaged in the grocery business, opposite the Man-
sion House, and next to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he continued for
eighteen or twenty years, after which he retired. He was a Democrat and a
man of local prominence. For twenty-four years he served as justice of the
peace at Yonkers. A member of St. John's Episcopal church, active and
influential, he served in various official capacities, filling the offices of deacon,
elder, etc. Fraternally, he was identified with the L O. O. F. He died
June I, 1880, at the age of eighty-two years; his wife, in 1879, at the age of
seventy-six years. They were the parents of eleven children, namely: John,
deceased; Eliza, wife of Robert Lawrence, of Yonkers, deceased; the next
two in order of birth died in infancy; Mary Ann, widow of Martin B.
Demorest, a carpenter of Nyack, New Jersey; Martha J., wife of John J.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 687
Banty, a carpenter of Deland, Florida; George H., who is in the real-estate
business at Yonkers, married Susan Van Tassel; T. W. , who resides in
Irvington, is engaged in the livery business there and is clerk of the town;
Emily V., wife of William Read, resides at Nyack, New Jersey; Charles R. ,
whose name graces this sketch; and Jessie, wife of James B. Strang, a
retired farmer of Stamford, Connecticut.
Charles R. Crisfield was educated in the public schools of his native
town. At the age of seventeen he left school and began learning the
butcher's business, working with his brother John, with whom he remained
five years. After this he engaged in business on his own account, at the old
home place opposite Caryl, where he remained twelve years, at the end of
which time, in 1878, he purchased his present place and built his market,
barn, etc., and here he has since been successfully engaged in the butcher busi-
ness. Adjacent to his residence he owns a number of lots, sixteen in all
which have grown very valuable. His is one of the oldest established
markets in Yonkers, and he enjoys a large trade at Riverdale as well as
Yonkers, his business requiring two wagons.
Mr. Crisfield is independent in his political views, and has never sought
or held office, his own private affairs demanding the whole of his time and
attention. He was once a member of Hope Hook & Ladder Company. He
worships with the Reformed church, of which he is a consistent member.
Mr. Crisfield was married April 22, 1880, to Miss Antoinette Radford, a
daughter of Thomas Radford, and they have five children, viz.: Walter R. ,
Richard W. , Louis R., Delia and Charles B.
AUGUSTUS VAN CORTLANDT.
Augustus Van Cortlandt, the second son in his father's family, married
for his first wife Miss Cuyler, and after her decease Miss Catherine Barclay,
of Santa Cruz, West Indies. His children were James Van Cortlandt, born
March 3, 1736, and died April i, 1781; Helen, born January 4, 1768, and
married James Morris, of Morrisania (whose son, Augustus Frederick Morris,
assumed the name of Van Cortlandt, and inherited from his grandfather a
part of his estate in Lower Yonkers); and Anna, born January 18, 1766, who
married Henry White, son of Henry White and Eva Van Cortlandt.
For many years prior to the Revolution, Augustus Van Cortlandt was
clerk of the common council of New York city, and to his unflinching loyalty
to his trust, as well as to his king, is due the preservation of the city records
of New York; for of his own motion and on his own responsibility, in 1775,
he placed them in chests in a vault built at his own expense, in his own
688 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
garden, "made," as he informed the provincial congress, "for that purpose
of stone and brick, well arched and exceedingly dry," and kept them until
after the peace of 1783.
FREDERICK E. WEEKS.
This is an age in which the young man is prominent, and the young man
is always prominent during and after war; and all things have combined to
give him precedence in America in these last years of the nineteenth century.
Young men who, hke Frederick E. Weeks, of Tarrytown, were coming to the
front professionally and otherwise before the war began and gave their coun-
try faithful service during its progress, returned to receive such substantial
reward as a patriotic people like to accord to them who risk their lives in
their defense.
Frederick E. Weeks was born at Sleepy Hollow, Mount Pleasant town-
ship, Westchester county, New York, October 4, 1870, a son of Abel and
Elmira F. (Miller) Weeks. His father, a well-known florist of Tarrytown, is
a man who commands the highest respect. His mother died in 1881.
Abraham Weeks, father of Abel and grandfather of Frederick E. Weeks,
was in his day prominent in this part of the state; and the same may
be said of our subject's maternal grandfather, Ira C. Miller. Both families
are old in America, and representatives in the lines reaching down to Fred-
erick E. Weeks have lived in Bedford and Mount Pleasant townships during
many successive generations. Those by the name of Weeks in Westchester
county are descended from old Holland stock, while those by the name of
Miller in this line are from an ancient English family. Abel and Elmira F.
(Miller) Weeks had four children, named Frederick E., Mary E. , Charles J.
and Hester A.
Frederick E. Weeks acquired his primary education at Poccacio Hill
and Sleepy Hollow and in the public schools at New Brighton and Stapleton,
Staten island. He was graduated at the North Tarrytown public school in
1 888. Later he read law under the preceptorship of E. T. Lovett, and
afterward under that of W. H. H. Ely, at Tarrytown. He took the degree
of Bachelor of Laws from the New York University Law School in May,
1895, was admitted to the bar the same year, and entered upon the practice
of his profession at Tarrytown. He is a member of the Westchester County
Bar Association. In 1896 he was appointed assistant district attorney of
Westchester county by District Attorney George C. Andrews. He has filled
that responsible position with great ability since, except while absent in the
United States army in active service in the Cuban war. He enlisted in
Company C, Seventy-first Regiment National Guard of New York, October
9, 1897, and was mustered into the United States service as a corporal in
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 689
Company C, Seventy-first Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry. He
served through the Cuban campaign with the Fifth Army Corps and was,
mustered out of the service November 15, 1898.
He participated in engagements at La Guisamis and San Juan, and m
all the arduous service around Santiago. December 8, 1888, he was appointed*
by Governor Black, assistant adjutant-general on the governor's staff of the.
state of New York, with the rank as lieutenant-colonel. He resigned the
office of assistant district attorney April 29, 1898, to go to war, and was,
re-appointed to the same office by District Attorney Andrews, January i,.
1899.
Mr. Weeks is a member of the Society of the Army of Santiago de Cuba
and of the Old Guard of New York City, and fraternally, of Solomon's Lodge,
No. 196, Free and Accepted Masons, of Tarry town, and of Irving Chapter,
No. 268, Royal Arch Masons, of Tarrytown; also he is connected with the
Westchester Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Tarry-
town, and he is foreman of the Conqueror Hook and Ladder Company, of
Tarrytown.
Charles J. Weeks, second son of Abel and Elmira (Miller) Weeks, at the
age of twenty-one did gallant service as a private in Company C, Seventy-
first Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry, and received a gunshot wound
before Santiago, July i, 1898, while taking part in a charge by which a part
of a battery was saved to the American cause. He recovered from his injur-
ies and is living at Tarrytown.
Politically, Mr. Weeks is a Republican, as was his father before him.
GEORGE FISCHER.
One of Yonkers' most prominent German residents is George Fischer,
who was born at Marienthal on the Rhine, Germany, January 9, 1854, and
came with his parents to the United States when he was twelve years old.
His grandfather. Christian Fischer, was a keeper of vineyards and a maker
of some of those pure wines which sustained the fame of his country in the
wine markets of the world in his time. He had seven children, two of whom
came with George Fischer's father and his wife and children to the New
World.
Christian Fischer, Jr., father of George Fischer, located in Yonkers
soon after his arrival in New York (1864), and lived there the remainder of
his life, which terminated in 1897, after he had celebrated his seventy-
seventh birthday. He was an active and useful citizen and was frequently
elected to public office, and served with success and greatly to the satisfac-
tion of his townsmen as commissioner of highways in his native country. By
44
690 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
trade he was an engineer. In his youth he had served in the German army,
and thus he acquired a liking for military affairs, which influenced him to
become a member of the local militia, of which for many years he was a
member. He was a member of Yonkers Teutonic Turnverein, the Brother-
hood of Engineers and of other popular organizations, and sustained a life-
long relation with the Catholic church. He had nine children: George and
William, deceased; George, whose name appears above and who will receive
further mention below; William; Anna, who married William Katt, of Yonk-
■ers; Lena, who married Augustus Nitch; Lizzie, who married George Zipp;
and Frederick.
George Fischer was educated in the public schools of Yonkers. At the
Bge of fifteen he left school to learn the butcher's trade, in which he was
employed for some years. Later he studied engineering, but finally he
turned his attention to hotel-keeping. His connection for several years with
the City Hall hotel, of Yonkers, is well known. For several seasons he
'managed the Alpine and Excelsior excursion grounds, and later the Sawmill
^iver Park. Since then he has conducted the Nepera Park hotel and carried
on an extensive bottling business.
Politically, Mr. Fischer is a Democrat, and he is an active, practical
worker in public affairs, who wields a recognized influence in his ward and
throughout the city generally. He has been sent as a delegate to the county
and assembly conventions and is an active member of his ward committee.
He was a candidate for alderman in 1897 to represent the seventh ward, but
the tide of election went against him and could not have been stemmed
under governing circumstances. He has been a member of the Yonkers fire
department for twenty-three years, and was several times foreman of Moun-
taineer Engine Company, now Nepera Hose Company, No. 11. He was a
member of the committee of one hundred citizens which visited Rochester in
1899. He is a Red Man (Algonquin Tribe, No. 288), a member of Alsatia
Lodge, and is identified with other popular organizations.
December 25, 1874, he married Maggie Harding, who has borne him
children as follows: Christian T. , Fred (deceased), William (deceased),
Elizabeth, Mary M., Frederick, Bertha and Julia.
DAVID FARRINGTON.
David Farrington was born in the city of New York, December 25,
1834, received his education in the public schools of that city, but left
his studies ere he had completed the full term in order to begin an apprentice-
ship in the engraving business. He was employed in this manner for six
years, and five years longer as a journeyman, learning every detail of the art.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 691
Subsequently he was connected with the jewelry house of Ball, Black &
Company as an engraver, for ten years. His ability and genuine talent
becoming recognized, he was offered a good position with the American
Bank Note Company, and has continued with this one firm for the long period
of thirty years. In 1871 he purchased the property at No. 326 South Fourth
avenue, Mount Vernon, where his home has been ever since, and he was one
of the first to locate in this section of the city. With his business associates
and fellow citizens he is deservedly popular, and every one has a good word
for him. Fraternally he belongs to Hiawathia Lodge, F. & A. M., and to
Mount Vernon Chapter, R. A. M. Politically, he cast his first vote for John
C. Fremont, and has always been a loyal Republican.
For twenty years Mr. Farrington served as a member of the Clinton
Hook & Ladder Company, and he is still an honorary member of that asso-
ciation; is a charter member and one of the founders of the Exempt Fire-
men's Association, and is now serving as one of the fire commissoners of the
place, having been appointed to the office by Mayor Edson Lewis, in 1895,
for a term of three years; and he was also treasurer of the board at the
expiration of his first term. May 15, 1898, he was re-appointed, for another
term of three years, by Mayor Edwin W. Fiske, and received the unanimous
approval of the Democratic adminstration, and is now president of the board.
When the project of the Mount Vernon water-works was started he was one
of the active workers and stockholders in the company at its formation, and
he is now a member and a trustee of the Home Building & Loan Association
of Mount Vernon.
May 15, 1 86 1, Mr. Farrington married Miss Anna Luyster, a daughter
of Albert Luyster, an old citizen of the metropolis. For sixty years Mr.
Luyster kept a butcher's stall in Washington market, New York. Four chil-
dren blessed this marriage, namely: Amy A., Elbert L. , Ada A. and Elmer.
Mr. Farrington was married a second time, wedding Miss Annie Makeon, of
New York, and by this marriage there is one child, named Clinton.
The Farringtons hved in this locality long before this town was dreamed
of, and the paternal grandfather of our subject owned a large farm in the
township of Eastchester, now within the borough of Mount Vernon. His
family comprised the following children: John, Thomas, Washington, David
and Hettie. David, the father of the subject of this article, was born in
1796, in the old family residence which stood until a few years ago at
the corner of Lincoln and North Fourth avenues, in this town. David
Farrington spent nearly all his life in New York city, and at one time held a
position as superintendent of street-cleaning there. He was a volunteer in
the war of 18 12, and in his political views he was a Democrat. His death
took place in Brooklyn, where he had lived for a few years, his age being
692 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
ninety-three. He was twice married, his first union being with CaroHne
Reynolds, the mother of our subject. Of their six children — Anne Maria,
Eliza, Francis, David, Amanda and Emma, only two survive, — David, the
subject of this sketch, and Emma.
REV. CHARLES ELMER ALLISON, D. D.
There is scarcely a man or boy in Yonkers who is not more or less
acquainted with the genial personality of Dr. Allison. To the majority he is
known as one of the most fluent and humorous after-dinner speakers in the
city, whilst to the more serious-minded he is esteemed as the zealous evan-
gelical pastor or as the grave and learned historian. He is equally respected
by all classes, and no one could pose more successfully as " the man of many
friends."
The history of the Allison family in Europe and the United States by
the Hon. Leonard Allison Morrison, D. D., contains biographies of the
Orange county Allisons, and records that the subject of this sketch is a
descendant in the sixth generation of Joseph Allison, probably a Scotchman
or of Scotch descent, who resided at Southold, Long Island, in 1721, and
migrated to Goshen, Orange county, about 1725 or 1726, having purchased
lands designated as the Allison tract in the Wanayanda patent. On his
maternal side the Rev. Dr. Allison is in the eighth generation from Edward
Elmer, a Puritan who emigrated from England to Boston, Massachusetts, in
1632, twelve years after the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, and who emi-
grated, in 1635 or 1636, with the Rev. Thomas Hooker and his congregation,
to Hartford, Connecticut, as original proprietors of that city. One of Dr.
Allison's ancestors was General William Allison, an officer of the American
Revolution, who, as a colonel, commanded the Orange county troops at the
battle of Fort Montgomery. One of the officers in command of the king's-
forces at that battle was the son-in-law of the Hon. Frederick Philipse, who,
in the eighteenth century, was proprietor of the Manor of Philipseburgh and
lived in the Manor Hall of Yonkers. General Allison was a member of the
provincial convention of New York from 1775 to 1777, and state senator for
the terms 1783-6.
The following from a recent issue of Church Tidings, edited and pub-
lished in Connecticut by the Rev. Arthur Requa:
' ' Mr. Allison was the second son of Isaac W. and Teresa A. Allison,
and was born at Slate Hill, Orange county, New York. His college prepar-
atory school was Chester Academy, and he was graduated from Hamilton
College in the class of '70. He was one of the six Clark prize orators of that
class. He was graduated from Union Theological Seminary in 1874. Mr.
Charles E. Allison.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 693
Allison was licensed by the presbytery of Hudson, and ordained by West-
chester presbytery, April 30, 1879,^ — the day when Dayspring was first
enrolled as a church.
" Mr. Allison came to this enterprise from his seminary in 1873, at first
coming up on Saturday and returning each Monday. When organized, Day-
spring had ninety-four members; in 1897 the enrollment was four hundred
and thirty-six. The Dayspring Sabbath-school has likewise grown from sixty
to four hundred and twenty-five members. Nearly twenty-six years of such
active service is an unusual record in these days. As senior pastor of the
city, he recently succeeded Dr. Cole as president of the Yonkers Clerical
Association.
"Mr. Allison published, in 1889, 'Historical Sketch of Hamilton Col-
lege,' and in 1896 was published his memorable ' History of Yonkers. '
' ' Mr. Allison is the genial story-teller, ready wit and popular after-dinner
speaker of the city of Yonkers. What fraternity, banquet or society supper
is complete without him.'
'■ He is an indefatigable worker, a sympathizing pastor, a lover of chil-
dren, a strong, impressive preacher and an all-around friend. His parish
includes the people of every church, and he is equally the friend of the wealthy
and poor. He is a stanch friend of temperance. He was moderator of the
presbytery in 1886. The new Dayspring church is a fitting monument to his
personal impress upon the city of Yonkers. "
THOMAS J. CALLAN.
The marked business and executive ability of Thomas Joseph Callan
enables him to fill a responsible and important position in the commercial
circles of Yonkers, and his bravery and loyalty enabled him to win fame in
the military history of our country; but, whether on the field of battle, in his
place of business or in the walks of public and private life, he is ever true to
duty and by his straightforward course has commanded the respect and con-
fidence of his fellow men.
Mr. Callan was born in county Louth, Ireland, July 13, 1853, and is a
son of Peter and Ann (Hackett) Callan. His paternal grandfather, Thomas
Callan, was a farmer and weaver, and lived to the advanced age of ninety-
eight years. His maternal grandfather, Peter Hackett, was a government
official during the greater part of his life, serving in the public-land depart-
ment, at Stevenson, Ireland. Several of his sons were in the military serv-
ice of their country, and another. Rev. Dean Richard Hackett, was professor
of sciences, metaphysics and Gregorian chants in Maynooth College, Dublin,
694 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Ireland. Peter Callan, the father of our subject, was also a native of the
Emerald Isle, acquired a college education and prepared for the priesthood.
Abandoning the idea of entering the church, however, he married Ann
Hackett and came to the United States, landing in New York city in 1854.
Previous to his emigration he had followed agricultural pursuits, but after his
arrival in America he turned his attention to the coasting trade, operating in
the vicinity of New York city and making his home at Greenpoint, Long
Island. Two years later he brought his family to this country. Subse-
quently he resided in Newark, New Jersey, where he was engaged in the
leather business. He died in the Orange valley, in Essex county. New Jer-
sey, at the age of seventy-eight years, and his wife passed away at the age
of seventy-six. Their children are as follows: Patrick, who served as alder-
man in Newark and as deputy state labor inspector of New Jersey, is a
veteran of the civil war and belongs to Garfield Post, No. 4, G. A, R., at
Newark. Rev. William M. R., who died in February, 1898, at the age of
fifty-eight years, was a priest of the Roman Catholic church and had charge
of the church of Our Lady of the Valley, in the Orange valley, for twenty-
five years. His remains were laid to rest in the cemetery of the Holy Sep-
ulchre, and there on Sunday, September 25, 1898, with appropriate cere-
monies, a handsome monument, erected to his memory, was unveiled by his
parishioners, September 25, 1898. Mary, the next of the family, is the wife
of Thomas Degman, a citizen of Newark, New Jersey. Ann Callan, the
next child, died on the day she proposed entering a convent. Jane was a
sister of charity, having entered a convent when fourteen years of age and
being there known as Sister Mary Joachim. She died in St. Mary's convent
in Hoboken, New Jersey, at the age of thirty-three years. Thomas Joseph
is the next of the family; and the youngest was Richard, who died in infancy.
During his infancy Thomas J. Callan was brought by his parents to the
New World, and acquired his education in St. Patrick's Brothers' school at
Newark, New Jersey. At an early age he left his parents' home and started
out to make his own way in the world. He first learned and followed the
undertaking business and subsequently engaged in the grocery trade, but in
1876 he put aside the pursuits of civil life and entered the military service of
his country, enlisting at Boston, Massachusetts, as a member of the Seventh
United States Cavalry. With other members of that command he was trans-
ported to Shreveport, Louisiana, and placed under Major Bell for training
and discipline. As soon as they were ready for service they were transferred
to the command of Captain McDougal and sent to Fort Lincoln, Dakota, to
quell the Indian uprising and hostilities in Montana, on the Big Horn river.
They arrived at Fort Lincoln on the loth of May, and after being delayed
for a few days by the severe weather they broke camp, at five o'clock on the
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 695
morning of May 17th, there being about six hundred men and pfficers in the
command. General Custer and several of the officers were accompanied by
their wives as far as Big Heart river, where they first went into camp, and
there many a farewell was exchanged which proved to be a final one, for the
husbands marched forward to one of the most fearful engagements that have
ever occurred in the history of our Indian warfare, and the death rate was
most terrible. They continued on their way, with various exciting and thrill-
ing experiences and all the attendant hardships incident to one of the most
perilous and difficult marches recorded in the annals of the west. On the
1 6th of June they arrived at Powder river, where they went into camp and
soon afterward entered upon the celebrated campaign of the Little Big Horn.
Mr. Callan passed through the entire campaign, under command first of Gen-
eral Custer and then of Colonel Reno and Captain McDougal. The march-
ing column was under command of Brigadier-General A. H. Terry and was
composed of the Seventh Cavalry, in charge of Lieutenant-Colonel George C.
Custer, a battalion of infantry, the Seventh Infantry, one company of the
Sixth Infantry, a battery of Catling guns, forty-five scouts, guides and inter-
preters. The total was fifty officers, nine hundred and sixty- eight enlisted
men, one hundred and ninety civilian employes, and one thousand, six hun-
dred and ninety-four horses and mules.
Reaching Powder river on the 7th of June, Major Reno, of the Seventh
Cavalry, was dispatched with six companies, on scouting duty. They pro-
ceeded up the Powder river, thence to the Rosebud and back to the mouth
of Tongue river. General Terry went by boat up the Yellowstone river to
the mouth of the Tongue, and there met General Custer, after which they
were joined by seven companies of the Seventh Cavalry, and also a detach-
ment of the Second Cavalry and Fifth Infantry under Major Gibbons.
Major Reno having found a scouting party of Indians, reported to Brigadier-
General Terry that he had met the Indians and that they outnumbered the
white men fifteen to one. He decided that it was unwise to attack the
enemy under such disadvantages and reported to General Terry asking for
reinforcements. The scouting party, of which Mr. Callan was a member,
made a forced march of two days and two nights on their return trip, and
reported. On the 22d of June General Terry ordered General Custer to take
command of the Seventh Cavalry and provided him with a number of mules
and some Catling guns, but the latter General Custer declined to take with
him. He then proceeded with his command and pack train up the Rosebud
river to the headwaters of the Little Big Horn river. General Terry had
ordered Major Gibbons to take four troops of cavalry and pack mules and
proceed up the west bank of the Yellowstone, and cross the stream at the
fording above the mouth of the Big Horn river. General Terry himself
696 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
remained in .command of all the infantry and proceeded by boat up the
Yellowstone and Big Horn rivers as far as the latter was navigable, and met
the other detachments at the valley of the Little Big Horn river. It was
upon reaching this point that he learned of the sad fate of General Custer
and his men. The General, having made forced marches, met the enemy
two days ahead of the designated time and in the attack his command was
entirely annihilated and the brave commander also lost his life.
Mr. Callan was with the forces under Major Reno, on June 25 and 26,
and, with his company, was for two days and two nights under the enemy's
fire. The command was ordered to fall back to the hills, where, on the first day,
and two hours after its opening of the engagement by Major Reno's command,
they were met by Major Bentien and his battalion. They then decided to
go to the rescue of General Custer, and they held their position until the
arrival of Generals Terry and Gibbons, on the 27th, when they learned of
General Custer's defeat. Mr. Callan was presented with a medal of honor
by congress for voluntarily aiding his wounded comrades and supplying them
with water, which he secured at great peril to himself.
While Mr. Callan and four of his comrades went to secure water, some
of their party were wounded by the rifle balls of the enemy. Mr. Callan and
his comrades, however, located where the Indians had concealed themselves,
and after Mr. Callan and his comrades had returned to the skirmish line of
the troops, and had given the hospital steward their canteens, which they
had filled with water, Mr. Callan and bis comrades again took their places in
the line of battle. Their journey, which they had made to secure the water,
was fraught with peril, they having made the distance of more than a quarter
of a mile outside of their own skirmish line, and through the lines of the
enemy. Mr. Callan and his comrades had carefully located the Indians, who
had concealed themselves in the foliage of a tree, from which point they had
a clear control over the only route by which the troops could secure any
water; and when the command was given to charge upon the enemy, to drive
them back from approaching too close to the wounded troops, and after their
return from the charge, Mr. Callan and his comrades turned their attention
to the tree where the Indians had concealed themselves, and soon one by
one the redskins were seen to drop lifeless from his perch in the tree, and
thus the way to the river to secure water for the troops was made clear; and
it may also'be added that Mr. Callan contributed no small part in the accom-
plishment of this fearful task.
The medal which he received in recognition of his bravery and kindness
to his comrades consists of a bronze star suspended from a bronze bar. On
the reverse side is inscribed the following::
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 697
The Congress
to
Private Thomas J. Callan,
Troop B, 7th Cavalry,
For Gallantry at
Little Big Horn, Montana,
June 25-26,
1876.
The following letter accompanied the medal:
War Department,
Adjutant General's Office,
Washington D. C, Nov. 3, 1896.
Mr. Thomas J. Callan, Yonkers, N. Y.:
Sir: — By direction of the Assistant Secretary of War, I enclose herewith a medal of honor
awarded to you for gallantry at the battle of Little Big Horn, Montana, June 25-26, 1876, while
serving as a private of Troop B, Seventh United States Cavalry. The records show that you
volunteered and succeeded in obtaining water for the wounded of the command, and was con-
spicuous for good conduct in assisting to drive the Indians from the trees in the bottom while
the men attempted to get water.
Very respectfully,
J. S. Babcock,
Ass't Adjt. General.
The medal he received was one of two thousand which had been granted
by the war department up to 1896. Mr. Callan is now an honorary member
of John C. Fremont Post, No. 590, G. A. R. , at Yonkers, which he fre-
quently entertains with stories and reminiscences of his five years' service in
the Seventh Cavalry and the Custer massacre or battle of the Big Horn.
After serving seven years in the United States Army Mr. Callan returned
to the east in 1880, and, after one year spent in the leather business, re-
moved to Yonkers, in 1881, to accept the position of manager for the Great
Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, which responsible position he has since
filled, being to-day in control of the largest business of the kind in West-
chester county. In business affairs he shows great discretion, and displays
great energy and enterprise, and his well directed efforts have brought him
gratifying success.
Mr. Callan has been twice married. He first wedded Mary T. Matthews,
of Newark, New Jersey, June 18, 1882, but she died a year and a half later,
leaving him with an infant son, William, who died at the age of three years.
His present wife was formerly Miss Mary J. Nolan, of Orange Valley, a
daughter of Thomas and Mary (Colloton) Nolan. Their marriage was con-
summated January 11, 1886, and they have one child, Mary Joachim.
Socially Mr. Callan is connected with the Montgomery Club, the Order of
Red Men, Shalamuck Tribe, No. 355, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
He also belongs to St. Peter's Roman Catholic church and the Catholic
698 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Benevolent Legion, and Yonkers Council, No. 300. He gives his political
support to the Democratic party, and keeps well informed on the issues of
the day and actively identified with political and other public interests of
importance. As a business man he bears an unassailable reputation and at
all times and in all relations of life he is as true to his duty as when he fought
for the interests of the nation against the red men upon the western plains.
HON. CHAUNCEY M. DEPEW.
Mr. Depew, distinguished as a lawyer and statesman, was born at Peek-
skill, April 23, 1834. His ancestry was of Huguenot families, from which
have sprung so many noble men to make immortal names in history. His
family were early settled at Peekskill, where his father, Isaac Depew, resided
on the farm which had been the home of his ancestors for two hundred
years. His early years were spent on the old homestead, and his education
was finished at Yale College, where he graduated in 1856. Resolved to enter
the legal profession, he studied law under Hon. William Nelson, was admitted
to the bar in 1858, and commenced practice in his native town.
His natural ability, sound knowledge of the law and great oratorical
talent caused his rapid advancement. In his youth he took part in politics,
was a delegate to the Republican state convention in 1858, and a distinguished
and effective speaker in the campaign of i860. In every presidential contest
from that time to the present, his speeches have been listened to b}' thou-
sands of his fellow citizens, and his opinions have never failed to attract
attention and command respect. At the beginning of the war he was adju-
tant of the Eighteenth Regiment of New York Volunteers, and served three
months. In 1861 he was elected a member of the assembly, and re-elected
in 1862. His legislative career, which was marked with great ability, pre-
pared the way for a still higher position, and in 1863 he was elected secre-
tary of state. He received, but declined, the appointment of commissioner
of immigration, but served for one year as tax commissioner for the city of
New York. In 1866 he received from President Johnson the appointment of
minister to Japan, — a position which he resigned after holding the commis-
sion for one month. He was appointed one of the commissioners of the new
Capitol at Albany in 1871. The Liberal Republican party gave Mr. Depew
the nomination for governor in 1872; but he, together with the rest of the
ticket, failed of ejection. During the controversy which led to the resigna-
tion of Hon. Roscoe Conkling as United States senator, Mr. Depew was one
of the most prominent among the candidates proposed as his successor, but
withdrew his name in the interests of harmony. He was appointed one of
the regents of the University in 1877, a position which he still retains. For
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 699
several years he was vice-president and general counsel for the New York
Central & Hudson River Railroad company, and afterward was president of
the same, — a position which furnished ample scope for his abilities.
Among the prominent orators of the day, there are few who have been
more frequently called upon to deliver addresses upon occasions of public
importance. A speech delivered in the legislature, in 1862, upon the subject
of state finances, has been considered one of his best efforts, and attracted wide
attention. On the 4th of July, 1876, he delivered the centennial oration at
Sing Sing, and made a brilliant address at Kingston on July 30, 1877, the
anniversary of the formation of the state government. On September 23,
1880, he addressed a large assembly at Tarrytown, in commemoration of the
capture of Major Andre, and he was the orator of the day upon the occasion
of unveiling the statue of Alexander Hamilton in Central Park. At the
election of a United States senator, in 1885, he was tendered the nomination
by all divisions of the Republican party, but declined to be considered a can-
didate, and the choice fell upon Hon. William M. Evarts.
In 1899 Mr. Depew was elected a United States senator, and this choice
of the New York legislature elicited words of hearty commendation from the
entire press of the state, with very few exceptions, irrespective of party lines.
In 1 87 1 he married Miss Elise, daughter of William Hageman, Esq.,
of New York, and has one son, who bears his father's name.
JACOB H. DALTON.
Located four miles and a half distant from the town of Peekskill, New
York, is found the delightful country home of Mr. Jacob H. Dalton. His-
farm comprises seventy acres of fine land, well cultivated, and his commo-
dious and attractive residence, beautifully located on an elevation and sur-
rounded by shade and ornamental trees, commands a magnificent view of the
surrounding country. The owner of this place is one of the prominent citi-
zens of his locality.
He was born in Yorktown, Westchester county, New York, January 15,
1862, the son of Samuel Dalton and grandson of James Dalton. The Dal-
tons trace their origin to the Scotch-Irish. Samuel Dalton married Miss
Ella Field McCord, a daughter of Jacob R. and Phebe (Field) McCord, and
she died when her only child, Jacob H., the subject of this sketch, was a
babe five months old. The father was subsequently married to Miss Cath-
erine Richey, daughter of Elihu Richey, of Cortlandt township, Westchester
county. New York. The mother of our subject was a representative of the
old McCord family of which mention is made on other pages of this work.
The Field family mentioned traces lineage back to English origin, the line of.
700 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
descent being traced from John Field, who was a resident of Horton Parish,
of Bradford, England, in the year 1572.
The subject of this sketch received his early education in the public
schools and later attended the Peekskill Academy. On reaching manhood he
engaged in farming on his own account, and as the result of his push and
energy is meeting with a fair degree of success.
He was united in marriage, October 31, 1888, to Miss Ida Travis, a
native of New York city and a daughter of David Travis, deceased. David
Travis was born in Putnam county. New York, and was twice married. For
his first wife he married Miss Cornelia Gilbert, of Putnam county, and for his
second wife he wedded Miss Jane Oakley, a native of Peekskill, New York,
and a daughter of James and Mary (Gilbert) Oakley. Mrs. Dalton is the
eldest daughter by the second marriage. Mr. Travis died in 1892 and Mrs.
Travis is a resident of New York city. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton have two chil-
dren: Florence May, born May 25, 1890, and Virginia Field, born October
20, 1892.
Mrs. Dalton is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, at Shrub
Oak, New York.
WILLIAM J. HORTON.
On the 24th of August, 1898, there passed away, at his home in York-
town township, Westchester county. New York, one of that county's best
and most highly respected citizens, William James Horton. His honesty,
integrity, gentleness and purity were a constant source of inspiration to his
loving family and friends, and few men have left an example more to be
desired than he.
Mr. Horton was born in Yorktown township, December 10, 1828, a son
of Frost and Phoebe (Tompkins) Horton. In early childhood he removed
with his parents to Peekskill, where he attended first the public schools and
later the Peekskill academy, and after attending the latter institution for
some time be entered college at North Adams, Massachusetts. Upon his
return home he remained in Peekskill for a time, filling a position in his
father's office, but after his marriage took up the occupation of farming in
Yorktown township, in which undertaking he met with more than ordinary
success.
On the 8th of January, 1851, Mr. Horton was united in marriage with
Miss Leah B. Carpenter, a daughter of William and Winnifred S. (Carpen-
ter) Carpenter, and by this union there were three children, namely: Wright,
who married Phoebe Weeks; Thomas V., who married Elizabeth Ireland; and
Georgine H., now Mrs. Frank A. Weed. (More extended mention of the
"N^ \ C^^JvOJC:^^W^
i^-MV)
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 701
Horton family is given in the sketch of Dr. Stephen F. Horton, on another
page of this work.)
Mr. Horton was progressive and enterprising, and took an active interest
in the welfare of the community. Politically he was a stanch Democrat and
served his party in the office of commissioner of highways for a number of
years, and also filled the office of township supervisor for several terms. He
was a liberal contributor to church and charitable enterprises, and while
not an avowed member of the Episcopal church he served for a number of
years as one of its vestrymen. In his religious principles he held to the
doctrines laid down by the Quakers, or Society of Friends. In his life-span
of seventy years he accomplished much, and he left behind him an honorable
record, well worthy of perpetuation. He was a man of the highest charac-
ter, and those who were most intimately associated with him speak in unquali-
fied terms, of his sterling integrity, his honor in business and his fidelity to all
the duties of public and private life. He was faithful to his country and to
his friends, and in his home was an exemplary husband and father. His
death occasioned the deepest regret throughout the community, and West-
chester county thereby lost one of its most valued citizens. Mrs. Horton is
an estimable lady of many sterling qualities, and has a large circle of friends
in the community.
GRIFFITH JOHN.
It will assuredly prove not uninteresting to observe in the series of bio-
graphical sketches appearing in this volume the varying nationality, origin
and early environment of men who have made their way to positions of
prominence and success. In no better way can we gain a conception of the
diverse elements which have entered into our social, professional and com-
mercial life, and which to the future American type will impart features
which cannot be conjectured at the present time. We have had an American
type in the past; we shall have a distinctly national character in the future,
but, for the present, amalgamation of the various elements is proceeding, and-
the final result is yet remote. No unimportant element in the formation of
this national type is that furnished by the little rock-ribbed country of Wales,
which country was the original home of the ancestors of Griffith John. The
sterling elements of that race are shown in his character, and their persever-
ance and adaptability find an exponent in his successful career.
Although of Welsh ancestry, Griffith John is a native of China, his birth
having occurred in Shanghai, on the nth of January, 1856. His parents
were Griffith and Margaret (Griffiths) John. His paternal grandfather, who
also bore the name of Griffith John, was a native of Swansea, Wales, and
was connected with the manufacturing interests of that country. His son and.
702 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
namesake was also born in Swansea, and is now a missionary at Hankow,
where he has been located for forty-three years. He was educated in Brecon
College, of Wales, and Bedford College, England, and, having prepared for
the ministry, determined to devote his life to missionary work. Accordingly
he went at once to the orient, — sent out by the London Missionary Society,
— and now for forty-four years he has labored to spread the gospel among
the heathen people of the great Confucian empire. He married Margaret
Griffiths, a daughter of Rev. David Griffiths, who was born in Wales, and
educated in one of the seminaries of that country. He prepared for the min-
istry and then went to the missionary field of Madagascar, where he remained
for many years. When the queen of that land attempted to massacre all the
Christians his life was threatened, for his concealing and protecting the con-
verts, so he was compelled to return to England, and one of his labors after
reaching that country was the translation of the Bible into the Madagascar
language. At the age of seventy years he retired to private life and died in
Wales. He married Miss Mary Griffiths, in Wales, and she accompanied him
on his missionary tour. Returning then to Great Britain, her death occurred
in her native land, at the advanced age of ninety-one years. Among their
children, five or six in number, was Mrs. John, mother of our subject. She,
too, aided her husband in his noble work among the not Christianized people
of the orient, and her death occurred in Singapore, in the Malay peninsula,
in 1873. By her marriage she became the mother of six children, three of
whom are living, namely: Dr. David John, a resident of Yonkers; Mrs.
Mary Sparhan, whose husband was sent out by the London Missionary Society
and is now in Hankow, China; and Griffith, of this review.
The last named, now one of the most prominent citizens of Yonkers,
New York, was born in Shanghai and was educated in a boarding school in
Blackheath, England, where continued his studies until seventeen years of
age. In order to attain the mastery of the principles and practices of mechan-
ical engineering he then spent six years in the Siemens Steel Works, in
Swansea, Wales, in the pattern-making and machine department and the
drawing offices. During that time he became very expert in the work, and
on leaving that large industrial establishment he entered the ship-building
yards of the Palmer Ship Building Company, of Jarrow, England. There he
remained seven months and then went to sea, as assistant engineer on a mer-
chant vessel, in order to gain practical experience. For several months he
was thus employed, plying between Liverpool and New Orleans, and subse-
quently he entered the consulting engineer's office, in London, for the pur-
pose of perfecting his knowledge of marine engineering, in which he had
become especially interested. There he remained for a year, enjoying par-
ticular advantages in the line of his chosen profession. By most thorough
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 703
and comprehensive training, botii theoretical and practical, he was fitted for
the most expert mechanical work of all descriptions.
In 1 88 1 Mr. John came to the United States and accepted a position as
draftsman with R. Hoe & Company, printing-press manufacturers, of New
York city. For six years he occupied that responsible position and then
came to Yonkers, in 1887, to accept the position of draftsman wi-th Otis
Brothers & Company, thus serving until 1892, when he went to Boston to
become superintendent of the Whittier Machine Company, with which he
was connected until 1896, when he returned to Yonkers. Since that time
he has occupied the responsible position of superintendent of the extensive
industrial interests of Otis Brothers & Company, — the most important place
in all their service. He has under his control twelve foremen and between
three and four hundred employes. His administration of the extensive affairs
of the company indicates managerial ability of the highest order. Added to
this is a most comprehensive and expert knowledge of the working of ma-
chinery and the natural laws which govern it. He is just toward the workmen,
and at all times alert in conserving the best interests of his company with
which he is so closely allied. Tireless energy, keen perception, honesty of
purpose, a genius for devising and executing the right thing at the right time,
joined to every-day common sense, are his chief characteristics in business.
With all his great practical force of character, Mr. John has the faculty
of placing all at ease by the courtesy and frankness of his manner, being in
truth a gentleman and a universal favorite. Of course opportunity brings
this side of his nature forward more frequently in social circles and in his
home. He was married in April, 1883, to Miss Ida E. Paynter, a daughter
of Isaac E. Paynter, of New York city, and they have had two children, Griffith
Paynter and Bessie Edith. The family attend the First Presbyterian
church, and enjoy the hospitality of the best homes of Yonkers.
JAMES H. LANDER.
Mr. Lander is one of the most energetic and enterprising citizens of
Greenburg township, Westchester county, New York, and has served in the
capacity of commissioner of highways since 1890. He was born in the
town in which he now resides, on May 25, 1863, being a son of Henry S.
and Annie (Williams) Lander, both of whom were born in England. His
father, Henry Lander, was born in the village of Swanage, Dorsetshire, Eng-
land, where he received a good common-school education and grew to man-
hood, learning the trade of a stone-cutter. In 1855 he emigrated to America,
coming to New York state and purchasing a farm in the town of Greenburg,
Westchester county. On this land he established a factory for the manu-
704 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
facture of bone-dust and fertilizer, and also made a kind of grease which he
sold for lubricating purposes. He soon built up a good business and the
output of his factory finds a ready sale among the surrounding farmers,
bringing him a neat income. He was united in marriage to Miss Annie Will-
iams, who was born in London. England, and came to America with her
parents, who first made their home on Long Island, and later settled in the
town of Greenburg, this county, where she met and married Mr. Lander.
James H. Lander received as good an education as could be obtained in
the common schools. He also assisted his father about the farm work and
in the factory. In 1890 he was elected commissioner of highways, and so
acceptably were the duties of the office discharged that he has held the office
continuously since, being re-elected in 1893 and 1896; his present term will
expire in 1900. He received a most flattering vote, his majorities ranging
from one hundred and seventy-six to four hundred and twenty in a strong
Democratic township. He owns one farm of thirty-one acres, which is in
a good state of cultivation, and supplied with good, commodious buildings.
Besides this farm, which is always kept in first-class condition, he also owns
another farm, of about seventy acres, located near the Westchester county
fair grounds, and upon this place are fine new buildings and other substantial
improvements. He also owns several other small pieces of property in the
town of Greenburg, and in addition to his farming operations does an exten-
sive business in grading streets and highways, making excavations, etc.
When twenty-one years of age, he chose as the partner of life's vicissi-
tudes Miss Ada McFadden, of the town of Greenburg, whose father was
James McFadden, and whose great-grandfather emigrated to this country
from Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Lander are the proud parents of nine children*..
Florence, Howard, Clarence, James, Frank, Irvin, Walter, Bessie and
Everett. Mr. Lander is a Republican, and in 1891 was elected to the
office of school trustee., serving three years. He is a member of Diamond
Lodge, 555, F. & A. M., at Dobbs Ferry, and the Spring Valley Lodge,
I. O. O. F. He is a man of sound judgment and marked ability, and
stands well in the community.
ALBERT. S. LEVINESS.
Mr. Leviness, a retired farmer living at Hartsdale, was born in the
town of Greenburg, Westchester county, December 7, 1826, the second soa
of Jonathan and Charlotte (Underbill) Leviness. His father was born in the
same town, in 1800, was a farmer in early life, a prominent citizen, a mem-
ber and trustee of the Dutch Reformed church and a man of great force of
character; he died in 1886. His father, Joseph Leviness, was also a native
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 705
of Westchester county, married Elizabeth Sherwood, and had five sons who
married and had children. The mother of our subject was the daughter
of Gilbert Underbill, who married a Miss Hart and had thirteen children,
— nine daughters and four sons. William Underbill, father of Gilbert, mar-
ried Ann Underbill and by occupation was a farmer.
Albert S. Leviness was reared principally on the farm and received a
good common-school education, going to school during the winter terms.
In his twentieth year he married and settled on a rented farm for four years,
after which he purchased a farm of thirty acres of Benjamin T. Underbill,
and continued in successful general farmirg until 1895, when he disposed of
bis place and retired from active life, attending only to the financial features
of what business may remain on his hands.
He was first married to Dorcas Tomkins, of Greenburg, a daughter of
James and Mary Tompkins, born in that town January 2, 1826. The chil-
dren by this marriage were: James T. ; Mary E., wife of Eugene Sherwood,
a son of John Sherwood, residing in New Canaan, Connecticut; and Jay
Hart, who resides in Greenburg township. Mrs. Leviness died in 1893, and
for his second wife Mr. Leviness married, October 4, 1894, Mrs. Harriet
Mead, widow of Amos Mead, her maiden name having been Dusenbury, as
she was the daughter of Jacob and Jane (Underbill) Dusenbury. By her first
marriage her children were Allen and Henry.
Mr. and Mrs. Leviness are members of the Dutch Reformed church.
In politics he is independent. In public office be has served as school trus-
tee and roadmaster. He has now passed his seventy-second birthday, is
hale and hearty and in the possession of all his faculties. He has always
been an industrious citizen and good manager, accumulating a handsome
amount of property to enjoy in his declining years.
WILLIAM C. LAWRENCE.
In viewing the mass of mankind in the varied occupations of life the
conclusion is forced upon the observer that in the vast majority of cases men
have sought employment not in the line of their peculiar fitness but in that
where caprice or circumstances has placed them, thus explaining the reason
of the failure of ninety-five per cent, of those who enter commercial and pro-
fessional circles. Mr. Lawrence, however, has a strongly developed com-
mercial instinct, and therefore in bis business life, which lies along that line,
he has prospered. The qualities which insure success — perseverance, indus-
try and capable management — are his, and they have been strengthened by
wise use through the years of an honorable and active business career.
Mr. Lawrence was born May 6, i860, in the village of Ardsley, where
45
706 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
he now makes his home, and is a son of Daniel and Hannah T. (Southanj
Lawrence. His paternal grandparents were William and Hannah (Vincent)
Lawrence, and the former was born in the town of Greenburg, Westchester
county, where he followed the trade of blacksmithing in his early life, aban-
doning it in later years in ord^r to devote his energies to farming, which con-
tinued to be his vocation until his life labors were ended in death, abouf
1880. The maternal grandfather of our subject, C. T. Southan, was of
English birth and came to this country in 1832. He established a meat
market at Dobbs Ferry, in 1835, and for forty years carried on business, —
until 1875, — when he sold out to his son-in-law, Daniel Lawrence, and James
E. Southan. He resided in Ardsley, but carried on business at Dobbs
Ferry.
Daniel Lawrence, father of our subject, was likewise a native of the
town of Greenburg, Westchester county, born August 19, 1829. He learned
the butcher's trade under the direction of C. T. Southan, in whose employ
he remained for twenty years, when he formed a partnership with James E.
Southan and purchased the business. After three years the partnership was
dissolved by mutual consent. Mr. Lawrence continued the business alone
for fifteen years, at the end of which time he was succeeded by his son,
William. He then retired to private life, enjoying the rest made possible by
his long years of former toil. He now resides in Ardsley, and is one of the
directors of the Dobbs Ferry Bank, with which he has been connected in
that capacity since its organization. He has long been regarded as one of
the most prominent and influential citizens of Ardsley, has taken an active
part in its affairs, and was the first president of the village, having served in
that capacity for two years. He was for twelve years school trustee, is now
school treasurer, and was appointed by Governor Black as state loan com-
missioner for Westchester county. In his political affiliations he has always
been a Republican, and stanchly advocates the principles of his party. In
1858 he married Miss Hannah T. Southan, a daughter of Cornelius T.
and Mary E. (Edwards) Southan, and their only child is the subject of
this review.
William C. Lawrence acquired his preliminary education in the public
schools of Ardsley, and spent one year in the high school of Yonkers. On
laying aside his text-books he entered his father's employ, was his assistant
for several years, and when the latter retired from business became his suc-
cessor as proprietor of the leading meat market in Dobbs Ferry. He has
also established a market at Ardsley, and is now enjoying a very large and
constantly increasing business. He has great energy, and his well directed
and honorable efforts have brought to him a handsome competence. His
reputation for reliable dealing is most enviable, and he occupies a high
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 707
position in business circles. He is a man of resourceful abilitj', however,
and his efforts have been by no means confined to one line. He is secretary
and treasurer of the Ardsley Ice Company and a director of the Dobbs Ferry
Savings Bank. His sound judgment in business matters renders his service
and counsel valuable, and insures the success of any undertaking with which
he is connected.
On the 7th of November, 1883, Mr. Lawrence was united in marriage
to Miss Ella J. Ward, a daughter of William and Helen Ward, of Williams
Bridge. They have one child, Ralph Howard, now a student in the Yonkers
schools. Mr. Lawrence is a public-spirited citizen, and he quickly notes any
measure or movement intended for the public good, forwarding the work by
his aid and influence. He was president of the Ardsley Hose Company for
two years, is a member of Diamond Lodge, No. 555, A. F. & A. M., of
Dobbs Ferry, is president of the Lyceum, and is a valued representative of
the Irvington Pastime Club. In his political views he has always been a
stalwart Republican, exercising his right of franchise in support of the men
and measures of the Republican party. He takes an active interest in both
local and state politics and has frequently been chosen delegate to the county,
district and state conventions of his party. He has been receiver of taxes
for the town of Greenburg for one term and is president of the board of
health of Ardsley, but the honors or emoluments of political office have had
no great attraction for him, as he prefers to devote his energies to his busi-
ness interests, in which he has met with signal success. He is a recognized
factor in commercial, political and social circles, and his genial manner ren-
ders him very popular with all.
PELHAM L. McCLELLAN.
It is an important duty to honor and perpetuate as far as is possible the
memory of an eminent citizen, — one who has conferred honor and dignity
upon society. As a successful lawyer Mr. McClellan was for many years
prominently identified with the affairs of Westchester county. Admitted to
the bar, he at once entered upon practice, and from the beginning was
unusually prosperous in every respect. The success that he attained was due
to his own efforts and merits. The possession of advantage is no guaranty
whatever of professional success. This comes not of itself, nor can it be
secured without integrity, ability and industry. Those qualities he possessed
to an eminent degree, and he was faithful to every interest committed to his
charge. Throughout his whole life, whatsoever his hand found to do,
whether in his profession, his official duties, or in any other sphere, he did
with all his might and with a deep sense of conscientious obligation.
708 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Mr. McClellan was born in 1832, and was a son of Hon. William
McClellan, of New Rochelle. After attending the public schools of that place
he entered the collegiate institute of William Bryson, from which he was
graduated with honor. Soon afterward he commenced reading law in the
office of his father, and was admitted to the bar in 1854. The same year he
came to Mount Vernon and entered actively upon the practice of his profes-
sion, with his main office at that place and an additional one in New York
city. He became at once a prominent figure in local affairs, — was chosen
clerk of the young village, and for a period of ten years served in the dual
capacity as clerk and attorney. When the duties had grown to a larger vol-
ume he was made corporation counsel, and he served his neighbors in that
sphere at different periods for about fifteen years. For four consecutive years
he was supervisor of the town of East Chester, and in 1862 was elected dis-
trict attorney of Westchester county.
Politically Mr. McClellan was a Democrat of strong convictions; his
devotion to his party was unswerving, and for years his service as an orator
was in demand. In all campaigns of his day he made speeches throughout
the county, and older citizens speak admiringly of his forcible and convincing
arguments. He was a man of high intellectuality, broad human sympathies
and tolerance, imbued with fine sensibilities and clearly defined principles.
Honor and integrity were synonymous with his name, and he enjoyed the
respect, confidence and high regard of all who knew him.
Mr. McClellan married Miss Sarah A. Ferden, who survives him, and to
them were born two sons: William Wallace, now a resident of Albuquerque,
New Mexico, and the founder of the Mount Vernon (New York) Argus; and
Clarence S., who is a prominent citizen of Mount Vernon, and who is presi-
dent of the People's Bank and a director of several other corporations.
THADDEUS K. GREEN.
Thaddeus K. Green, the well known and popular proprietor of the
Katonah Hotel, at Katonah, New York, and a successful and enterprising
business man, is a native of Westchester county, born in Newcastle town-
ship, July 16, 1859. His parents were Alsoph and Hester A. Green. His
father, whose death occurred March 24, 1884, was for many years one of
the prominent representatives of the business interests of the county. Early
in life he was connected with a cotton mill, later was proprietor of a hotel
and prior to his death became interested in dealing in real estate. Upright
and honorable in all his transactions he easily won the confidence and friend-
ship of all with whom he came in contact, and no man in the community
was held in higher regard or more richly deserves the esteem of his fellow
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 709
townsmen. He was a man of fine personal appearance, weighing about two
hundred pounds. Politically, he was connected with the Republican party,
and socially he affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His
wife, now a widow, is a most estimable lady who proved to him a valuable
helpmeet.
Thaddeus K. Green pursued his education for a time in the Claverick
Institute and is a graduate of the WiUiston Academy of Eastham, Massachu-
setts. He received his business training in New York city, and on returning
to Westchester county became interested in the hotel business in Katonah.
Being frank and genial in manner and having an extended acquaintance in
the state, he soon secured a liberal patronage and is now one of the most
popular hotel proprietors in this section. In company with Dr. Carpenter,
of Katonah, he is also extensively engaged in the real-estate business, and in
this venture he is also meeting with excellent success.
In 1880 Mr. Green wedded Miss Ida M. Sturges, a lady of culture and
refinement, and a daughter of McFarland Sturges. They now have one son,
Alsoph, a lad of fifteen years. Mr. Green is a prominent Mason and in his
life exemplifies the ennobling principles of the fraternity. He belongs to
the blue lodge, chapter and commandery, and is also a Noble of Mecca
Temple of the Mystic Shrine. In politics he is a stalwart Democrat, and in
1895 was the candidate of his party for representative to the state legislature.
He made a strong canvass and ran about seven hundred votes ahead of his
ticket, but like the other candidates of the party was defeated, his opponent
being James W. Hunter, of Peekskill. He has always taken an active
interest in political affairs, and is a recognized leader in the ranks of
the Democracy, and a member of the Democratic Club of the city of New
York, yet is popular with all parties, his genuine worth winning him the
friendship and esteem of all with whom he is brought in contact.
JEREMIAH T. LOCKWOOD.
Deeds of valor and of heroism have been the theme of story and of
song from the earliest ages, and tales of battle have stirred the blood and fired
the ambition of many a youth. When the United States was engaged in
civil war and the country needed the support of all her loyal sons, the sub-
ject of this review, then a boy in years, went to the front as a defender of
the stars and stripes. Thoughout his life he has manifested the same
loyalty to his duties of citizenship and is equally firm in his defense of a
principle in which he believes, so that at all times and in all places he com-
mands the respect and confidence of those with whom he is associated.
710 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Mr. Lockwood is a native of New England, his birth having occurred
in New Canaan, Connecticut, in 1846. On the paternal side he is descended
from good old Revolutionary stock, and on the maternal side from the
French Huguenots who sought homes and liberty of conscience in America.
The founder of the Lockwood family in the New World was Robert Lock-
wood, who located in Watertown, Massachuetts, in 1630. His son. Lieu-
tenant Jonathan Lockwood, served as a member of the Connecticut legisla-
ture, and was also a member of the committee appointed to determine the
Connecticut and New York boundary line. Joseph and James Lockwood
were prominent actors in events which form the colonial and Revolutionary
history of the country, and Jacob Lockwood served in the war of 18 12: so
that there has been no lack of patriotic devotion to the country in days both
of peace and strife. The parents of our subject were Jeremiah T. and Jane
(Sheragon) Lockwood, and the latter was of Holland descent.
Jeremiah T. Lockwood, Jr., the subject of this sketch, spent his boy-
hood days in his native town and in New York city. He acquired a good
practical English education in the common schools, and at the time the civil
war was inaugurated he was living with his parents in Westchester county.
Fired with the spirit of patriotism and loyalty, all through the summer of
1862 he endeavored to obtain the consent of his parents to his enlistment.
They, however, opposed him. They already had one son at the front, and
believed this one was too young and small for field service. " Wait," they
counseled; but while he was waiting the country was having a hard struggle
to preserve the Union intact, and this lad of sixteen summers could not con-
tent himself at home. Accordingly, on the 28th of August, 1862, having
been sent by his father to New York to pay an insurance policy, he stepped
into a recruiting office and enrolled his name among the defenders of the
Union. Returning home, he informed his parents of the step he had taken,
and though they wished he had done otherwise, they assisted him to prepare
to go to the front, and a week after his enlistment he was assigned to Com-
pany A, Fourth New York Heavy Artillery, at Fort Franklin, Maryland, in
the defense of Washington.
The headquarters of the regiment at that time were at Fort Ethan Allen,
Virginia. In December, 1862, Mr. Lockwood went with his company to
Fort Marcy, Virginia, where he remained until March, 1864. During his
entire service in the army he was always found at his post of duty, ready for
any task that might be assigned to him, with the exception of the time which
he spent in the hospital after being wounded, and during a short furlough,
which was granted him on account of his injuries. He was in all the battles
in which his company engaged from the Wilderness to Petersburg. At the
latter place he received what was nearly a fatal wound. He was in the front
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. ■ 711
of the army on the i8th of June, 1864. At daj'break his company charged
through a cornfield and captured one line of works. They then advanced
out upon the plank road, where they remained until twenty minutes after
eleven, when the order came to charge upon the last works. Together they
dashed forward in the second charge. Lockwood was a little in advance,
and had gone about fifty feet from the works, when he was struck by a bullet,
which entered his right side between the second and third ribs, and, passing
through the body, came out below the shoulder-blade. The line advanced
beyond him, and finally the order came to fall back. As it was obeyed, two
of his comrades helped him up and carried him into the works. Upon
this spot Fort Hell, opposite Fort Damnation, was afterward built. Mr.
Lockwood was later taken to the Carver United States General Hospital,
where he remained until the end of the war.
On leaving home his mother had given him a Testament, which he car-
ried in his inner pocket, and which is still in his possession, — stained with
the blood which flowed from his wound on the day of the attack before Peters-
burg. On the 28th of August, 1865, just three years after his enlistment, he
received an honorable discharge, the war having ended, and his term having
expired. He may justly be proud of his army record, as it is that of a brave
and loyal soldier-boy, whose fearlessness and fidelity equaled that of many a
veteran of twice his years. One of his most cherished mementoes is a letter
from his old commander. General Hancock, dated February 25, 1879, writ-
ten in response to a request for the General's photograph. The General sent
two, and said:
They are the best I have. One was taken in 1864, — about January. I was not then per-
fectly well; very thin. I had not recovered from my wound of Gettysburg, the previous July
3d. The second was taken in 1866, when I did not take quite so much exercise as during the
war. I was then stationed in Baltimore, Maryland. I am very glad to comply with your wish.
I always have a warm place in my breast for men who served under and with me.
I am very truly yours,
WiNFiELD Scott Hancock.
At the close of the war Mr. Lockwood returned to the pursuits of civil
life, and he has been quite successful in his business ventures. Until 1880
he was engaged in the furniture and undertaking business with Hoyt Broth-
ers, at Katonah, New York, and now has a fine establishment of his own in
White Plains, New York. He is one of the leading undertakers of West-
chester county, and is president of the Undertakers' Association of West-
chester, Putnam and Rockland counties. His business career is character-
ized by the strictest integrity and straightforward dealing, and by his well
directed efforts he has acquired a comfortable competence.
Mr. Lockwood was united in marriage, in 1888, to Miss Louisa Carpen-
ter, daughter of Franklin and Helen (Roberts) Carpenter, the former a
712 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
native of Vermont and the latter of Connecticut. Mrs. Lockwood was born
in Tiffin, Ofiio, and by her marriage she has one son, Richard C.
In his social relations Mr. Lockwood is connected with McKeel Post,
No. 1 20, G. A. R., of Katonah, New York. He was appointed by Governor
Black a member of the board of managers of the State Reformatory for
Women, at Bedford, New York, in 1898, but has never otherwise held office,
preferring to devote his energies to his business. He is a valued and
esteemed citizen of White Plains, prominent in business, and of sterling
worth of character.
EDMUND SCHOLLDERFER, M. D.
Among the leading members of the medical profession of Westchester
county is numbered this gentleman, whose practice in Yorktown Heights
extends over a period of about fifteen years. He is a great student, pos-
sesses a fine medical library and devotes much of his leisure time to research
and reading along the line of his chosen work. Of genial manner and pleas-
ing address, he impresses a new acquaintance favorably from the start and
his friends are legion. He takes deep interest in everything pertaining to
medical science and keeps fully abreast of modern methods of treatment of
disease. A loyal adherent of the Republican party principles, he has never
aspired to public honors, but does his duty as a citizen and voter. Socially,
he is identified with Cortlandt Lodge, No. 34, F. & A. M., of Peekshill.
A son of Leonard and Mary Elizabeth (Fisher) Schollderfer, both natives
of Germany, the Doctor was born in Westchester county, December 31, 1855.
His father died some years ago, in 1877, but the mother is still living, her
home being in Yorktown. They were the parents of four sons and four
daughters, two of whom have been summoned to the silent land. They
are: George, who married Ella Miller and resides at Highland Station,
Putnam county, New York; Emily, Mrs. William Maguire, also of Highland;
Christina, Mrs. John Denike, also a resident of that place; Charlotte, Mrs.
Arthur Smith, of Peekskill, this state; Leonard, who resides at Mount Kisco;
and Henry and Elizabeth, deceased.
After completing his common-school education the Doctor attended the
Peekskill Military Academy for some time, and about 1878 took up the study
of medicine, under the guidance of Dr. John K. Tilden, of Peekskill, New
York, for one year, and next was under the tuition of Ambrose L. Ranny,
the uncle of Professor A. L. Loomis, of New York city. He then pur-
sued a regular course of lectures and studies in the New York Med-
ical University and was duly graduated with the degree of Doctor of
Medicine, in 1881. For two or more years he practiced in Peekskill, and
then removed to his present home. Here he has gained an excellent reputa-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 718
tion as a family physician and finds his time pretty fully occupied in attend-
ing to his numerous patients. He stands well with his medical brethren and
is a member of the Westchester County Medical Society He is a mem-
ber of the Methodist church and is an active worker in its varied branches
of usefulness. He is an officer in the congregation and is zealous in forward-
ing the best interests of the church. February 21, 1889, he married Mrs.
Marietta Tompkins, a widow, a daughter of John B. Tompkins, but death
■claimed her upon the loth of March, 1891.
ISAAC R. LOUNSBERRY.
Every nation must have its heroes, but it is to its quiet, level-headed,
honest-hearted citizens that any nation must owe its permanent supremacy.
There is as much heroism in work as in war. The quality of intellect that
can direct a battle to a victorious issue might not be equal to the prolonged
strain of a fight for commercial success. Integrity is the chief store in the
foundation of every really successful business career, and the Writer who
records such success may work to better purpose than he knows. Isaac R.
Lounsberry, a prominent and respected citizen of Yorktown, Westchester
county, was a man whose sound corhmon sense and able and vigorous man-
agement of his affairs were important factors in his success, and his
undoubted integrity of character gave him an honorable position among his
fellow men.
Mr. Lounsberry was born on the old family homestead in Yorktown
township, where his great-grandfather, Henry Lounsberry, a native of New
York city, located probably before the close of the eighteenth century.
Henry Lounsberry was a patriot soldier and risked his life in the Revolution-
ary war in the service of the colonies. His son, Henry Lounsberry, grand-
father of Isaac R. Lounsberry, was born on the homestead in Yorktown
township. He married Miss Jean Covert, a representative of an old and
prominent family of Welsh descent, and they became the parents of six chil-
dren, the youngest, Henry, Jr., being the father of Isaac R. The mother of
these children lived to the advanced age of ninety-one years, and both she
and her husband were sincere and faithful members of the Methodist Episco-
pal church.
Henry Lounsberry, Jr. , Isaac R. Lounsberry's father, was born and
reared on the old Lounsberry place in Yorktown township, and lived sixty-
nine years. He, too, held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church,
and he was a life-long adherent to the principles of the Democratic party.
When only nineteen he married Miss Catherine Quereau, a daughter of Elias
•Quereau. Mr. Quereau also was a native of Westchester county. He mar-
714 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
ried Charity Rhodes, a daughter of Isaac Rhodes, once a man of prominence
here. To Henry and Catherine (Quereau) Lounsberry were born five chil-
dren, the eldest living son being Isaac R., the subject of this sketch.
On the old homestead Isaac R. Lounsberry passed his early life like most
farmer boys, attending the local schools and aiding in the work of the farm.
When only thirteen years old he helped put up the first telegraph wires
between New York and Jersey City, and by the time he reached the age of
fifteen he had saved one hundred and fifty dollars, with which sum he pur-
chased a meat market at Sing Sing, which he managed successfully for six
years. In 1867 he disposed of valuable real-estate interests in that city and
established a clothing business there which he conducted for some time. In
1872 he embarked in the ice business. Subsequently he again engaged in the
clothing trade in Sing Sing and continued in it for twenty years, building up
a large trade and gaining an enviable reputation as a progressive and reliable
merchant. In 1896 he purchased the home farm, making many improve-
ments, and there he passed the remainder of his life, which terminated Octo-
ber 6, 1898.
Mr. Lounsberry was married April 12, 1863, to Miss Abbie J. Haight,
daughter of James E. Haight, of Yorktown, who survives him. To them
were born five children: Sarah, wife of Nelson Laraway, of Catskill, New
York, who has one child, named Hope; Catharine; Ida, widow of Henry
Palmer and mother of three children, named Mildred, Amy and Eunice; Jen-
nie C. ; and Isaac R. , Jr., who married Florence Irene Walker, of Sing Sing,
and has a son named Isaac R. , the third of the name in the family and of the
third generation in direct descent.
The success of Mr. Lounsberry was won fairly and openly, always in gen-
erous competition. It came to him because he inspired confidence in men,
and they trusted him and dealt with him because they knew that whatever
he offered for their consideration was honest and worth whatever price he
put on it. His success was the result, too, of good judgment, of wise plans
well made and judiciously carried out, and of diligence in business and tire-
less and exacting devotion to every interest demanding his attention. In his
political affiliations Mr. Lounsberry was a Democrat, and his influence in the
councils of his party was considerable. He was averse to accepting public
office, but was several times chosen to local offices of responsibility, including
those of trustee, town clerk and assessor. While he was not a member, he
was an avowed adherent, of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Popular as was Mr. Lounsberry in the business, political and social
world, it was in his private relations that he shone brightest, and placed
others under the greatest obligations. Those who really knew the man knew
that he was not only a good and loyal citizen, but also a sympathetic and help-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 715-
ful neighbor and a faithful and reliable friend. It was in the home circle
that he was at his best, and there he is mourned most deeply. He was a
kind and loving husband and indulgent father. To him home was a sacred
place, and his affection warmed everything within its walls. There was noth-
ing that he thought too good for it, and it was his delight to supply it with
every comfort and luxury at his command.
IRA McKEEL.
The well known and popular postmaster of Purdy Station, Westchester
county, is Ira McKeel, who has for many years been prominently identified
with its commercial interests. He embarked in business at that place on a
small scale, but steadily and honorably worked his way upward until he
attained a fair degree of prosperity, and won the confidence and respect of
all with whom he came in contact, either in business or social life.
A native of Westchester county, Mr. McKeel was born in East Chester
township, April 26, 1846, and is a son of Michael McKeel, Jr., whose birth
also occurred in this county, as did also the birth of the latter's father,
Michael McKeel, Sr. , who was of German descent. Michael McKeel, Jr.,
wedded Sarah Schotts, a native of this county, and they became the parents
of five children, namely: Oscar, Mrs. Josephine Buckhout, Mrs. Sarah
Tompkins, Michael (deceased), and Ira, our subject. The father was a mem-
ber of the Society of Friends, and was a Democrat in politics. He died at
the age of fifty-five years, and the mother departed this life at Pleasantville,,
this county, at the age of ninety years.
Ira McKeel was reared on the home farm and was educated in the
public schools of the neighborhood and the Jonesville Academy. He began
his business career as a clerk in the store of W. E. Schotts, of Mamaroneck,
this county, and later became a partner in the business. In 1867 he opened
a small store at Purdy Station, which he. successfully conducted for thirty
years, building up an excellent trade by fair and honorable dealing. He has
always been a stanch supporter of the men and measures of the Democratic
party, and for six years he has served as postmaster at Purdy Station, to the
entire satisfaction of the many patrons of the office. Religiously he and his
family are members of the Methodist church.
At the age of twenty-one years Mr. McKeel was married to Miss Mary
D. Flewellyn, at Mount Kisco, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Purdy)
Flewellyn, and to them were born three children: Clara, now the wife of N.
H. Miner, a merchant of Purdy Station; Mortimer, who is now at Yorktown,
this county; and Niles, who is also at Yorktown, engaged in the mercantile
business.
716 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
CHARLES E. YOUNG, M. D.
Dr. Young, of White Plains, New York, was born in Brooklyn, New
Tork, August 27, 1858. He traces his ancestral 'history back to the year
1573. when Edmund Greenleaf was born in England. His maternal grand-
father, Moses Greenleaf, entered the Revolutionary army at the age of seven-
teen, as lieutenant, became captain in 1776, and served throughout the war.
His grandfather, Elisha White Young, was a soldier in the war of 18 12, and
was one of the pioneers of western New York. As an architect, many of the
■public buildings of Mayville, Chautauqua county, and vicinity, are monuments
to his memory. The Doctor's father, Elisha Scott Young, — like himself a
self-made man, — was a successful New York city lawyer.
His mother is the daughter of the Rev. Jonathan Greenleaf, D. D., who
founded the Franklin Avenue Presbyterian church, of Brooklyn, New York,
after he was fifty years of age, and subsequently was its pastor for twenty-two
years. She is also a niece of Hon. Simon Greenleaf, who was professor of
law at Harvard University, and author of " Greenleaf on Evidence;" is also a
great-granddaughter of the Rev. Jonathan Parsons, D. D., of Newburyport,
Massachusetts, at whose house that prince of preachers, George Whitefield,
died, and the remains of both men now rest side by side under the old South
<:hurch, over which Jonathan Parsons was pastor. Connection with these
illustrious New England families relates Dr. Young to the poets Whittier and
Longfellow and to a long line of distinguished ancestry.
Dr. Charles Elisha Young was left fatherless at the age of five years, and
the family was later in dependent, circumstances, owing to the mismanage-
ment of his father's valuable estate. A part of his early education was
obtained in public school No. 12, Brooklyn, and at Nyack, New York; and at
the age of fifteen he engaged as an errand boy in New York city, at a salary
•of three dollars per week. Feeling the necessity of further education, after
drifting about in various menial positions he devoted his spare time to the
study of preliminaries, using as an aid the evening sessions of the Brooklyn
public schools, and in September, 1877, entered the Massachusetts Agricult-
ural College, where, after two years of special study, he determined to fol-
low the lead of his ancestry and enter professional life. Early in 1879 he
commenced the study of medicine, under the direction of Dr. Charles S.
Cahoon, of Lyndon, Vermont, doing chores for his board, and in March, 1880,
having been awarded a scholarship, commenced his first course of lectures in
the medical* department of the University of Vermont, at Burlington. The
following September found him in New York city, an almost total stranger,
with very limited resources. He matriculated in the medical department of
ihe University of the City of New York, from which he graduated March 7,
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 717
1882, and immediately entered upon tlie practice of medicine in that city. He
soon acquired a large and lucrative practice, and is well and favorably known«
in the profession.
Dr. Young was elected a Resident Fellow of the New York Academy of
Medicine March i, 1888; a member of the New York Physicians' Mutual Aid
Association, March 13, 1888; and a member of the Medical Society of the
County of New York, March 24, 1890. He was appointed to the stafT of
attending physicians to the Northeastern Dispensary, December 13, 1883,
and also served on the staff of attending physicians to the New York Found-
ling Asylum during the summer of 1885. Dr. Young early became expert in
the fields of obstetrics, gynecology and paediatrics, and has written articles
upon subjects in these lines, and has made various contributions to the sub-
ject of medical charity, and has written other papers both within and outside
of the field of medicine.
Continuing in the religious belief of his fathers. Dr. Young was ordained
to the office of deacon in the Central Presbyterian church, of New York city,-
December 13, 1885, and served as secretary of the board until he removed
his residence to White Plains, September 7, 1893, his removal here being
largely on account of the health of his family.
Of late years Dr. Young has devoted most of his time to the study and
treatment of chronic diseases, retaining a city office for the treatment of cases
in this special field.
Dr. Young is the present noble grand of Hebron Lodge, No. 229, of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and regent of White Plains Council,
No. 1762, Royal Arcanum. He is also medical examiner for several life and
accident insurance companies. He has been instrumental in the education of
several young men and women. For his scientific attainments the Massa-
chusetts Agricultural College conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of
Science, and he is now president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College-
Club of New York. He is also a member of Alpha Chapter of the Phi Sigma
Kappa fraternity.
Dr. Young married Miss Carrie T. Dinnis, New York city, September-
13, 1888. They have one child, Florence Greenleaf Young.
DANIEL MAPES.
Southold, Long Island, is one of the oldest English towns in the state,
having been settled in the fall of 1640. Among the earliest of the settlers
was Thomas Mapes, of English descent, the ancestor of the many families of
the name found in various portions of the country. Thomas Mapes was not
only one of the pioneers in Soathold, but was also interested in the settle-
718 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
ment of the town of Brookhaven, Long Island, and had a share in the vari-
ous divisions of land in that town. He married Sarah, daughter of William
Furrier, also among the first settlers of Southold. In 1683 Thomas Mapes
was made freeman of the colony of Connecticut, of which Southold was a
part at that time. He was taxed for two hundred and forty-four pounds,
which shows him to have been a man of means. He went to Brookhaven in
in 1655, but returned to Southold in 1657, and died there in 1686. He pos-
sessed much land in Southold and one part, known as " Mapes' Neck," was
owned by his descendants for three generations. He left nine children, —
Thomas, William, Jabez, Jonathan, Abigail (wife of John Terrell), Sarah
(wife of William Coleman), Mary (wife of Barnabas Wines); Noami, and
Rebecca (wife of Thomas Young, son of Rev. John Young, the first minister
of Southold).
These children have a large number of descendants. Jonathan, the
fourth son, was born in 1671 and died in 1747. He married Hester Horton
in 1696 and had two sons, — Jonathan and Benjamin.
Jonathan was the father of John Mapes, born March 10, 1766, and mar-
Tied Julia Ann Wood, January 24, 1793. Their children were: Samuel, born
June 19, 1794, who has no living descendants; Anna, born December 7, 1796,
who died unmarried; Daniel, the subject of this sketch, born February 23,
1800; John, born September 10, 1802, who had two daughters, Charlotte and
Caroline; Leonard, born November 16, 1804; Benjamin, born March 24,
1810 (he left three children: Cornelia, wife of Theodore Fitch, Emily, wife
of Frederick Strang, and Charles, who married Clara Masters); James, born
October 7, 1812, married Rachel Archer and had four children, — Leonard,
John A. , Emily and Anna. John Mapes, the father of this family, died in
1836, and his wife died in 1840.
After the death of the parents, Daniel Mapes and his sister Anna, owing
to their age and great decision of character, became the acknowledged heads
of the family, and by their industry, perseverance and integrity exerted a very
salutary influence in the community in which they resided. In early life
Daniel engaged in mercantile pursuits in the village of West Farms, and for
half a century was one of the most prominent and successful business men in
the southern portion of the county, amassing a large fortune, which he dis-
pensed in the latter years of his life in acts of benevolence and charity, mak-
ing liberal contributions to the educational institutions of the Reformed church
at New Brunswick, New Jersey, Cornell University and the Syrian College
at Beyroot. From his early youth he was noted for strictly temperate
habits, to which he attributed his uninterrupted good health for more than
.four-score years.
He was for many years a useful and honored member of the Reformed
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 719
church at West Farms and manifested his attachment to it by his liberal con-
tributions to its support. On the 20th of January, 1884, he fell asleep in
Christ, full of years, riches and honors, and was buried in Woodlawn
cemetery.
LEVI W. FLAGG.
Dr. Levi Wells Flagg was born in West Hartford, Connecticut, Febru-
ary 14, 1 8 17. After receiving a thorough primary education he became a
student of Yale College, where he graduated in 1839. Among his class-
mates were Charles Astor Bristed and John Sherman, of New York; Rev.
Francis Wharton and Hon. H. L. Dawes, of Massachusetts; ex-Governor
Hall, of Missouri; Professor J. D. Whitney, of Cahfornia, the eminent chem-
ist and geologist; and others who became distinguished.
After graduating, he went south and spent three years in teaching in St.
Francisville, Louisiana. Returning to his native place, in 1842, he studied
medicine for a year with Dr. Pinckney W. Ellsworth. At the expiration of
that time, removing to New York city, he entered the office of Professor
Willard Parker, with whom he remained two years. In 1847 he graduated
at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and in the following year estab-
lished himself in Yonkers as a physician of the "regular" school. Shortly
afterward he was induced to investigate homeopathy, the result being a con-
viction, as he said, of its superiority over the old system of practice. He at
once became its strong advocate and the pioneer practitioner in the country.
His success in introducing the new system was most marked; he grew rapidly
in favor with the community, acquiring wealth and a pre-eminent position
among the physicians of the locality. Notwithstanding his change of pro-
fessional faith, the relations between himself and his old teacher. Professor
Parker, greatly to the honor of the latter, ever continued of the most friendly
character.
Dr. Flagg avoided politics entirely, and never held any public office
of a political character. He always devoted himself wholly to his profes-
sion, in which he was a zealous and untiring worker, a portion of a year spent
in Europe, and a short time in Mexico, being almost the only relaxation he
allowed himself between the commencement of his practice and his death, on
May 1$, 1884. When, in 1865, the Westchester County Homeopathic
Medical Society was organized, he was elected its president, and held that
office for three years. He was also a member of the American Institute of
Homeopathy.
Dr. Flagg was married, on May 17, 1848, to Charlotte Whitman, of
Hartford, Connecticut, and they had eight children, five of whom survived
720 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
him: Howard W., Marietta W., Lucy W., George A. and Robert N. Flagg,
M. D., who succeeded to the practice of his father.
It is with great pleasure that we present our readers with the above
brief sketch of one of the most popular and successful physicians, as well
as most useful and upright citizens, that it has ever been the good fortune
of Westchester county to possess. Dr. Flagg came to Yonkers when the
village was in its infancy, and for thirty-six years he watched its develop-
ment and growth. No one was or could be better known than he. By his
steadfast integrity, his professional ability and his genial and winning manner
he won for himself the respect of the business community, an extensive and
lucrative practice and a high social standing. His death not only created
a vacancy beside the family hearth, but was also a loss to the city and county
in which he lived.
WILLIAM H. BELL.
The name forming the caption of this sketch is a household appellation
in the village of Pleasantville and town of Mount Pleasant, Westchester
county. New York. Indeed, perhaps no man in the town is better known
than William H. Bell. For more than two-score years he has been interested
officially in its educational matters, having served as school trustee and presi-
dent of the school board twenty-one years, and in every way he has had at heart
the highest welfare of its people.
Mr. Bell was born October 5, 1837, in the town of North Castle, a son.
John and Mary E. (Slagle) Bell. His father was a native of England and
his mother of New York state. Both are deceased. He was a carpenter by
trade. Of their ten children only four are now living. William H., our
subject, had no other educational advantages than those afforded by the pub-
lic schools, and those only for a few months. On reaching manhood h&
chose the occupation of shoemaking, which he had learned when a boy and
which he has followed mostly ever since. He has been a resident of Pleas-
antville ever since 1853, interested in the public welfare of the community.
In shoe-manufacturing he has employed as many as seventy hands at a time,
being the leader in this line at Pleasantville. Having learned his trade whea
in youth, he was twenty-six years of age when he established his business in
Pleasantville, in 1863.
In 1897 the village was incorporated, and he became its first president,
and he is still a member of its board of trustees, and he has filled other
important local offices. He has also served as delegate to several conven-
tions. The duties of his public positions he has ever taken pride in execut-
ing faithfully. He was formerly a Democrat in his views of national policy,,
but he is now a Prohibitionist.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 721
Mr. Bell was married November 20, 1861, to Miss Phcebe Palmer Far-
rington, the daughter of George W. and Susan E. (Clark) Farrington, and
they have had five children, namely: Charles F., George W. , William H.,
Jr., Frank and Hattie. For the past twenty-five years their home has been
on the Bedford road, where they enjoy life on their handsome property. Mr.
and Mrs. Bell are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Pleasant-
ville. Mr. Bell served on the board of trustees of his church for over twenty-
five years, as treasurer for twenty years, and is at present a steward, which,
office he has held for many years.
ALEXANDER SMITH.
The notoriety of this gentleman is connected mainly with the founding
of the great carpet mills at Yonkers. As the threads are woven and inter-
woven in the fabrics manufactured at the great Alexander Smith & Sons'
Carpet Mills, so the threads of the history of its founder are woven and inter-
woven in the history of this enormous industry. Since its inauguration in
this city, it has not only been making carpets: it has also been making Yon-
kers. Employing as it does to-day about four thousand operatives, it serves
to maintain and support almost one-third of the entire population of the city.
Certainly the founder of such an enterprise is worthy of the enduring affec-
tion and honor of all the citizens of the Terrace City.
Alexander Smith was born near Trenton, New Jersey, October 14, 1818.
His father, Nathaniel Smith, was a farmer, and his early years were spent
" close to nature's heart," where he gained a rugged constitution and acquired
that energy and perseverance which characterized all his efforts in after life.
When he was sixteen years of age his father moved to West Farms, New
York, where he opened a small country store, and here the boy had his first
experience in mercantile pursuits. For nine years he worked with his father,
becoming during that time postmaster and colonel of the local militia. In
1845, having watched with the interest of an inventive mind the small carpet
factory at West Farms, owned by James W. Mitchell, then employing
twenty-five hand looms, he purchased the property and turned all his energy
and interest to the development of this infant industry. At first the enter-
prise did not prove a success, and after operating the factory for several
years he closed its doors and went to Schenectad}', where he remained for six
months as superintendent of a similar institution. Returning to West Farms
he reopened his factory, experimenting with looms for the manufacture of
tapestry ingrain carpets, for which he secured patents. These carpets were
the principal product of the mill for a number of years. He carried on busi-
ness in a modest way until the breaking out of the rebellion in 1861.
46
722 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
It is interesting to note here the development of the Axminster loom,
which was ultimately to give the firm a world-wide reputation. Its unfore-
seen, undreamed-of beginning was due to the meeting, during the winter of
1849-50, of Halcyon Skinner and Mr. Smith. Mr. Skinner had become
known to Mr. Smith as a skillful artisan, and the carpet manufacturer
applied to the young carpenter for aid in designing and making the machin-
ery. In 1856 Mr. Skinner obtained a patent conjointly with Mr. Smith, and
an experimental loom was constructed. Changes and improvements were
made at frequent intervals, and in i860 a quite complete and satisfactory
loom was in operation. From this time on constant improvements were
effected until, in 1871, Mr. Smith conceived the idea of inventing a power
loom for weaving moquette carpets, thus producing a fabric equal to
Axminster and costing considerably less. With the aid of Mr. Skinner this
was accomplished, and the large moquette mill on Nepperhan avenue stands
to commemorate this successful venture.
The following, taken from an old journal, will indicate the early develop-
ment and promise of the factory at West Farms: "One could scarcely
expect to find in the village of West Farms an incipient rival, in carpet-
making, to the imperial French carpet factory of the Savonnerie, or of the
Gobelins. It is nevertheless true. Alexander Smith, of that place, exhibits
a power loom for weaving tufted pile carpeting similar to that now produced
by hand and called Axminster or Wilton. This factory makes twenty-five
yards of carpet a day, or two yards an hour. " In striking contrast with
these figures is the present output of nearly forty-two thousand yards per
day, or twelve million yards per annum. But the experience at West Farms
was not one of unbroken prosperity; indeed, had it not been for the indomit-
able perseverance and pluck of the young manufacturer through these early
years of misfortune, the enterprise must have failed. At the breaking out of
the war he sustained large losses in the south, causing temporary financial
embarrassment, from which, however, he quickly recovered.
In 1862, at a time when everything seemed to presage success, a fire
destroyed his entire plant, the only thing saved being the American flag that
was preserved to wave over one of the largest of America's industries. Mr.
Smith immediately rebuilt and again set himself to the task of perfecting the
loom for tufted carpets, the model of which had been completely destroyed
by the fire. Only two years elapsed before another conflagration swept away
his second factory, destroying the loom, now almost perfect, over which
years of labor had been spent! He said of these first twelve years of his
experience, so full of trial and adversity, of anxiety and patient affort, that
they were spent in bringing this second invention to the state which he could
rely on for future success. "Tried by fire," he stood the test, and out of
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 723
the trial came the strong, firm, undaunted man, who could fashion and plan
an enterprise which was to be the grandest of its kind on the western hemis-
phere. "Wise men ne'er sit and wail their losses." Alexander Smith was
one of those sagacious men who are "better made by ill." It was this last
fire of 1864 that resulted in his moving his interests from West Farms to
Yonkers. "Ill blows the wind that profits no one." Thus it is that, as a
result of the twin disasters at the place where he had first ventured his fort-
unes, he determined to transfer the operations of his business interests to
Yonkers. In 1864 he purchased the property which comprises part of that
formerly occupied by the Waring Hat Factory. This was the beginning of
an enterprise which was destined to bring more of the laboring classes to
this community, and to maintain more than any other work established here
has accomplished. Nearly thirty-two years have elapsed since its inception.
Further on will be found a sketch showing the development of the different
mills, together with statistics relating to their production and proportions.
We return again to the career of Mr. Smith. He was married when
quite young to Miss Jane Baldwin, daughter of Major Ebenezer Baldwin, who
was a well known resident of Yonkers. He had two children, who are still
residents of Yonkers, — Warren B. Smith, who succeeded his father as presi-
dent of the carpet company, and Eva S., now the wife of William F. Cochran.
He married, a second time, a Miss Thomas, of Baltimore, Maryland.
Mr. Smith was the first president of St. John's Hospital, and was also a
member of the board of education. With the great cares which his large
business interests laid upon him, he was ever sensible of and responsive to
the call which his duty as a citizen involved. He took an active, personal
interest in matters pertaining to the city's welfare. He was a stanch Repub-
lican, and was a candidate for mayor of the city in 1874, but was defeated by
his Democratic opponent, Joseph Masten, by a small majority. In 1878, he
was nominated by his party for congressman from his district, and after a
vigorous personal campaign, was elected by a very large majority. It was
the crowning recognition of his talents and ability tendered by those who had
known him most intimately for years, but it was the crowning which was
bestowed at the goal of a life successful beyond measure, filled to the full
with activity, honored and beloved by all who had the good fortune to know
him, for he died on the eve of his election November 5, 1878, at the age of
sixty. The suddenness of his death at a time when he was apparently about
to enter upon a new and larger field of usefulness caused the most wide-
spread disappointment and sorrow. The loss of no citizen of Yonkers has
been more deeply and sincerely mourned than that of Alexander Smith. On
the day of his funeral, by unanimous argeement, all the stores were closed
and the flags all over the city hanging at half-mast betokened the passing
724 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
away of one of Yonkers' most distinguished citizens. A few days after liis
death a memorial service was held at Washburn (now Music) hall, when
addresses were delivered expressive of the love and sympathy of the people.
No words could more fittingly conclude the sketch of Mr. Smith's life than
those uttered by William Allen Butler on that occasion. He said: "When
we stand by the bier, or near the bier, of such a man as we mourn to-
night, we reassure ourselves, we take courage, we reassert the supremacy of
conscience in the sphere of the human relations, and we take satisfaction
and solace in the memory of the good and benevolent actions which belonged
to such a life, which death cannot destroy and which smell sweet and
blossom in the dust."
The Alexander Smith & Sons' Carpet Company's Mills of to-day deserve
here an extended notice. The carpets manufactured by the Alexander Smith
& Sons' Carpet Company, are divided into two classes, viz. : Tapestry Brus-
sels and tapestry velvets, and moquette or Axminster, the two latter being
practically the same weave and embracing the grades known as Savonnerie,
ne p/us ulira a.nd nonpdneil, — the variation in closeness of texture and the
quality of the woolen yarns used being the essential difference. The tapestry
goods require for their production the joint efforts of three distinct mills,
which are known by the names of the worsted spinning-mill, printing-mill or
"drum " room, and the setting, weaving and finishing departments, common-
ly known in Yonkers as the tapestry mill.
The worsted mill is located on the Sawmill river road, close to the Oak-
land cemetery's main entrance, on the east side of the Nepperhan river.
This plant consists of one main structure of brick, three stories and base-
ment, five hundred by fifty-three feet; a two-story picker room, seventy-four
by fifty feet, and two separate systems for wool washing and drying contained
in buildings of one and two stories; one hundred and thirty by eighty feet
and one hundred and twenty by one hundred, exclusive of boiler and engine
rooms. This mill is devoted entirely to the production of worsted yarns for
carpet purposes and has a daily product of fourteen thousand pounds of
what is known in the trade as i is and I2s yarn. The wool used is derived
entirely from foreign shores, and is known as carpet combing, is long in
staple and is coarser than anything produced in the United States. Donskois
from Russia, Scotch fleece, Chinas and Cordovas from South America are
the main descriptions used. The principal machinery in use at this mill is
described as follows: Fifty-two sets two-cylinder cards, twenty-three Noble
combs, one hundred and twenty spinning frames, sixty-five twisting frames,
and all the necessary subsidiary machinery, comprising pickers, washers, dry-
ers, etc., necessary to operate the above. There are four boilers and two
engines, with a joint capacity of one thousand horse power. The superin-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 725
tendent in charge is William H. Wolfe, and the number of hands employed
is six hundred and thirteen.
The next mill to be considered is the print mill, which takes the worst-
ed yarn and applies the colors to it. This mill is situated opposite the worst-
ed mill, on the western bank of the Nepperhan river. It is a two-story brick
building, five hundred and sixteen by one hundred and ten feet, containing
eighty-five pairs of drums or cylinders, on which the yarn is printed, after
being thoroughly scoured and bleached. After being steamed and dried the
yarn is then ready for the final processes, and is sent to the tapestry, setting
and weaving mill. One engine and four boilers are in use at this mill, and
there are employed six hundred and seven hands. William Webb is in general
charge of the printing, and William McKim of the color-mixing department.
The tapestry weaving mill comes next, and is the plant around which
clusters whatever sentiment or romance there may be associated with so ma-
terial a matter as carpet-making, as this was the nucleus from which has
sprung the present immense works. It is situated on the corner of Palisade
avenue and Elm street. The original " wooden " building is still intact. It
was bought by Alexander Smith, after leaving West Farms, in 1865; and to
it he afterward added fifty feet. The product of the mill at that time could
be removed daily by a single-horse wagon, while now about five hundred rolls
of carpeting are daily forwarded to New York from this mill alone. The old
building is two hundred and one by thirty-one feet, three stories and base-
ment, and it is still in active use for the dressing of warps, for carpenter
shops, etc., and it is looked upon with a feeling somewhat akin to reverence;
but it is inevitable that some day it will have to give place to a more modern
structure.
There is a large machine-shop adjoining the main engine-rooms, in
which are employed mechanics who look after repairs directly connected
with the machinery pertaining to this plant. This mill has the largest num-
ber of employees on its pay-roll, the latest count giving one thousand, six
hundred and forty hands. Reuben Borland is the present superintendent of
the moquette mill. A unique feature of the mill is the yarn-conveyor, which
takes the dyed yarn from the store-house directly to the top floor of the main
building by means of an endless chain and carrier. There are used at this
mill weekly sixty thousand pounds jute yarn, twenty-five thousand pounds
cotton yarn and thirty-one thousand pounds woolen yarn.
The following are a few miscellaneous facts in connection with the mills
as a whole: There are ninety tons of bituminous coal consumed daily, and
by an ingenious device attached to the boiler grates the smoke is consumed.
The employees are paid weekly on every Friday. The raw and finished
goods handled daily weigh two hundred tons. The entire buildings owned
726 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
by the company have been protected from fire by automatic sprinkling
devices; and, in addition, there are four fire pumps of great capacity in case
the city water should fail. Some idea of the extent of these works may be
gathered from the fact that there are twenty-five acres of floor space in the
mills as a whole.
Among the names of those who have been prominent in the service of
the company, some of whom are dead, should be mentioned: Halcyon Skin-
ner, John T. Bell, F. T. Holder, John A. Dowe, Thomas Wigley, William
McKim, Hiram F. Lord, George Borland, Eugene Tymeson, John Crowther,
John H. Coyne, William H. Wolfe, George Moshier, E. C. Clark, Harold
Brown, Richard Edie, Jr., William Heatherington, Walter Thomas, Henry
Parton, David Paton, Henry J. Laragh, George Stengel and John Crawford.
There are still in the employ of the company three or four hands who started
in with Alexander Smith the first year he came to Yonkers.
The company give their employes a Saturday half-day holiday every
summer during the months of June, July and August, and allow them their
full wages for the time lost. The total number of hands employed is four
thousand and one hundred. A large number of the adult male employes
own their own homes, and, as the mills have run almost steadily for the past
twenty years, the hands are kept more uniformly employed than are those of
competing concerns. The last serious stoppage was in the panic year, 1893,
when the mills were closed five months, and this resulted in great depression
and suffering in the city of Yonkers.
The moquette fabrics made by the company have been exported quite
freely during the past four years, through the general selling agents, W. & J.
Sloane, of New York city, who have opened an office and established a per-
manent representative in London. In connection with the recent coronation
services of the czar of Russia, it should be mentioned that two thousand five
hundred yards of the company's goods were laid in the palace at Moscow,
and this has recently been followed up by orders for several patterns for the
private rooms of the empress of Russia.
Upon the death of Alexander Smith, Warren B. Smith, his only son,
was elected president (resigning the office of treasurer), in January, 1879,
which office he held until January i, 1894, when he resigned. Mr. Smith is
a practical carpet man in every respect, as he applied himself to acquiring
his knowledge by going into many of the mill departments and working as
any other employe might. The present magnitude and success of the works
are largely due to his energy and push'. Mr. Smith is also largely interested
in real estate in Yonkers. During the last three years he has devoted much
time to traveling. His home is still in Yonkers, and his residence is beauti-
fully located at Hillcrest.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 727
NATHANIEL CUTLER.
One of the leading agriculturists of North Castle township, Westchester
county, and an honored veteran of the civil war, is Nathaniel Cutler, who
was born December 21, 1844, in that township, being a representative of
one of the county's old and highly respected families of English origin. His
grandfather, John Cutler, was likewise a native of the county, and here both
he and his wife died and were buried.
Nathaniel Cutler, Sr., father of our subject, spent his entire life in
Westchester county, as a farmer, and in early manhood he married Sarah
Ann Weeks, who was born in the town of Somers, and who was likewise a
representative of one of the old families of the county, being a daughter of
William and Rachel Weeks. Nine children were born of this union: John,
who died at the age of twenty-one years; Cornelius and Mrs. Ama Ferguson,
both residents of Mount Kisco; Cyrus, of Golden Bridge, this county;
George Washington, of Dutchess county. New York; Stephen and Julia,
both deceased; Nathaniel, our subject; and Araminta, who died at the age of
nineteen years. Three of the sons were among the boys in blue during the
civil war and valiantly fought for the preservation of the Union on many a
southern battle-field. They were Cyrus, George W. and Nathaniel, — all
members of the Fifth New York Heavy Artillery, — and the second was ser-
geant of his company, while our subject served as corporal. The mother of
these children died at the age of seventy and the father at the age of eighty
years. Both were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church
and were highly esteemed by all who knew them, and he was identified with
the Democratic party.
Nathaniel Cutler, whose name introduces this sketch, grew to manhood
on the home farm, aiding in its work and attending the local schools. He
was still in his 'teens when he entered the military service of his country, and
was stationed most of the time in Virginia, being honorably discharged at
Harper's Ferry and paid off at Albany, New York, after which he returned
home.
On the 28th of December, 1870, he was united in marriage with Miss
Martha Ida Sutton, who was born, reared and educated at Claverack, New
York, and also belongs to one of the old and well known families of the
county. At an early day two brothers, Joseph and John Sutton, left their
home at Sutton Court, England, and came to the New World, and from the
former, who settled in Westchester county, Mrs. Cutler is descended. In
rehgious faith they were Friends. James Sutton, Sr. , the son of Joseph,
was born in a log cabin on the old homestead in this county, and was the
father of Walter Sutton, Mrs. Cutler's grandfather, who also was born on the
728 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
old homestead and was twice married, — first to Martha Tatten and secondly
to Phoebe Dickinson. James T. Sutton, Mrs. Cutler's father, first opened
his eyes to the light on the Sutton homestead, and on reaching man's estate
he married his second cousin, Phoebe Sutton, a daughter of William Sutton,
who was a brother of James Sutton, Sr. , and a son of Joseph Sutton, the
pioneer. William Sutton married Charlotte Hunt, a daughter of Josiah and
Lydia (Palmer) Hunt, relatives of Lord Effingham, of England. To James
T. and Phoebe Sutton were born two children. Mrs. Martha Ida Cutler being
the older. The son, William Edward Sutton, now. a resident of Seattle,
Washington, was reared and educated in Westchester county, and was a suc-
cessful teacher here for a time, but has made his home in the west for sev-
eral years. He married Eva Acker, a daughter of Benjamin Acker. James
T. Sutton, who was a farmer by occupation and a Democrat in politics, died
at the age of seventy-nine years, honored and respected by all who knew him.
His estimable wife, who was a member of the Society of Friends, departed
this life at the age of seventy-two.
To Mr. and Mrs. Cutler have been born two sons: Walter Sutton, a
surveyor and engineer residing at home, and William Edward, a carpenter,
also at home. The fine farm belonging to this worthy couple comprises
seventy-two acres of valuable land, most of which is under a high state of
cultivation and well improved with good buildings, and there is also an
excellent orchard of six acres upon the place. This pleasant home is con-
veniently located in New Castle township, about two miles from Mount
Kisco. Politically, Mr. Cutler is identified with the Republican party, and
socially affiliates with Stuart Hart Post, G. A. R. , of Mount Kisco, of which
he is a charter member. With his wife and son, William E., he holds mem-
bership in the Methodist Episcopal church, and the family occupy a position
of prominence in the social life of the community. Public-spirited and enter-
prising, they give their support to all worthy objects calculated to advance
the moral, intellectual or material welfare of their town and county, and they
are held in high regard by all who know them.
WILLIAM V. MOLLOY.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Molloy has been a potent factor in pub-
lic affairs in Westchester county. He was long recognized as one of the
leading business men, and as a public official has demonstrated his loyalty to
the. best interests of the community by his faithful service. He was a mem-
ber of the well known firm of Molloy Brothers, general contractors, until
about 1895, and is now serving as sheriff of the county.
Mr. Molloy was born in Fleetwood, now a part of Mount Vernon, New
^^^^
/
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WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 729
York, in 1856, and when four months old was taken by his parents to a farm
near New Rochelle, where he was reared to manhood. His strong force of
character, natural bravery and resolution have naturally made him a leader
of men, and when only twenty years of age he became the head of an organ-
ized vigilance committee that broke up a gang of burglars in New Rochelle.
Later he was at the head of the Glen Island detective force, and in many
other matters of moment his opinions and example carried great weight.
Throughout his business career he was identified with works of public
improvement and progress, being engaged in the construction of railroads and
sewer systems. The firm of MoUoy Brothers took large contracts in those
lines of building, and their excellent workmanship and well known reliability
secured them a liberal and lucrative patronage. They took the contract for
laying the sewers in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, also in New Rochelle, and did
a large amount of work on the arches spanning the New York, New Haven
& Hartford Railroad, at New Rochelle. They made the excavation and did
all of the work for the Rochelle Park for the Manhattan Life Insurance Com-
pany, at New Rochelle; took the contract for laying the mains of the water
works in Westchester; did all the work at the Country Club grounds, and laid
the water mains in New Rochelle. They also executed contracts on many
other public works, employing only competent workmen, and by their per-
sonal oversight were assured that the work was thoroughly and carefully
done. In matters of business William V. Molloy is a man of great energy,
push and enterprise, and as a result of his executive ability and careful man-
agement has won a gratifying success.
His attention has been divided between his private business interests
and his public duties, and in both commercial and political circles he is
widely known. He was one of the company who acted as escort to James
G. Blaine when the Maine statesman made a tour through the country while
a candidate for the presidency. In 1884 he was elected excise commissioner
and held that office for three years. During the last year of his service he
was also assessor of the town of New Rochelle, to which office he was elected
in 1886 for a three-years term. He discharged his duties with such marked
abihty that he was re-elected in 1889, but in 1890 he was elected supervisor.
Again he held two offices at the same time, but soon he resigned his position
as assessor; yet, before the expiration of his term as supervisor, to which he
was re-elected in 1891, he was appointed and entered upon the duties of post-
master. In the fall of 1891 he was unanimously nominated at the Repub-
ilican convention for representative of the. Westchester district in the general
assembly, his opponent being ex-Congressman Ryan, of Port Chester. He
was at that time laying the sewers of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, under con-
tract, and in consequence, not being able to enter the campaign, was obliged
730 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
to decline the nomination. In 1892 he was the Republican nominee for
county register, but though defeated in the Cleveland tidal wave by William
J. Graney, of Dobbs Ferry, he ran several hundred votes ahead of his ticket.
During his service as postmaster, to which office he was appointed by Presi-
dent Harrison, in February, 1893, he developed the free-delivery system,
which had been established by his immediate predecessor. To him is due
the excellent service which the town now enjoys. His time expired in Feb-
ruary, 1897, but President Cleveland allowed him to hold over twenty days
before appointing his successor, Charles H. McQuirk. The senate failing to
confirm this appointment, President McKinley re-appointed Mr. Molloy for a
four-years term, beginning in May, 1897. In November of that year he was
the Republican candidate for sheriff of Westchester county and was elected
over J. J. Broderick, of Yonkers, by a majority of seven hundred and twenty-
eight votes. With the exception of the coroner he was the only man elected
on the ticket, a fact which indicates his personal popularity and the high
regard and confidence reposed in him. He entered upon the duties of that
office and sent in his resignation as postmaster of New Rochelle, but the
government failed to release him until May, 1898, so that he was again hold-
ing two offices at the same time. He is now acceptably serving as sheriff,
and temporarily resides in White Plains, although he still regards New
Rochelle as his home.
Mr. Molloy has ever been most prompt and faithful in the discharge
of his official duties, and this has won him the commendation of men of all
parties. For three years he served as a member of the Republican com-
mittee of Westchester county, and his sagacity and managerial ability con-
tributed not a little to the strength of his party. At the World's Columbian
Exposition in Chicago, in 1893, Mr. Molloy was chosen as a member of the
committee on agriculture and cereals. He is a man of splendid business
ability and large capacity in the management of extensive and varied interests,
and thus has been enabled to carry on contracting successfully, and at the
same time take an active part in public affairs. During the last three years,
however, he has not followed contracting. Personally he is a man of fine
physique, tall and well proportioned. His gentlemanly appearance, pleasant
face and modest manners have won him hundreds of friends, and his acquaint-
ance is widely extended in the east.
NORTON P. OTIS.
Norton Prentiss Otis was born in Halifax, Vermont, March 18, 1840, a
son of Elisha G. and Susan A. (Houghton) Otis. His father died in 1861,
'and his mother February 25, 1842. He received his early training and edu-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 731
cation at the public schools in Halifax, Vermont, Albany, New York, and
Hudson City, New Jersey, at which places his father resided at different
times, and on the removal of the family to Yonkers he completed his studies
at district school No. 2, of this city. At eighteen years of age he entered his
father's elevator business, then in its infancy. Upon the incorporation oi
Otis Brothers & Company, in 1867, he became treasurer, and for the suc-
ceeding ten years traveled for the concern throughout the United States and
Canada, introducing passenger and freight elevators.
In 1877 he married Miss Lizzie A. Fahs, of York, Pennsylvania, a most
estimable and accomplished lady. They have seven children, — Charles
Edwin, Sidney, Arthur Houghton, Norton Prentiss, Katherine Lois, Ruth
Adelaide and James Russell Lowell.
Mr. Otis has always been actively interested in the religious, social and
political life of Yonkers, and has filled with honor many offices of distinction
in these several departments, and is identified with several of the philan-
thropic institutions of the city. For years he has been vice-president of St.
John's Riverside Hospital, and president of the Charity Organization Society.
All that concerns the welfare of Yonkers concerns Mr. Otis, and he has-
always been ready to serve the city of which he is an honored resident.
Politically he is a Republican, and has always sustained the party and
its principles. In the spring of 1880 he was nominated for mayor and
elected by a large majority. During his administration many important and
valuable changes were made in the various departments of the city. The
fire department was reorganized, the system of public-school management
was changed and greatly advanced in efficiency (Mr. Otis appointing the first
school board under the consolidated system), the water-works were largely
augmented by the introduction of new and improved machinery, and with all
these improvements, brought about under his practical business administra-
tion, when he retired from office the city's debt had been decreased more
than seventy-five thousand dollars! In the fall of 1883 he was elected to the
state assembly, in a district overwhelmingly Democratic. While in the state
legislature he was the author of many important measures, among which
were those relating to the reduction of exorbitant rates of fare on state rail-
roads, giving towns the power to regulate or refuse admission to excursion
parties, making only physicians eligible to the office of coroner, etc. The
latter bill, however, failed to pass at that time, on account of constitutional
objections. Since then the constitution has been amended and the essential
elements of that bill are now the law of the state. In local politics, Mr.
Otis is a recognized leader of opinion among the best elements of society.
One of the most prominent citizens of Yonkers said of him recently: "Mr.
Otis is one of the most sagacious and honorable men that we have to-day in
732 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
our city. Whatever office he is elected to, he dignifies and discharges its
duties with the utmost skill, reflecting credit upon himself and adding
materially to the prosperity and comfort of the community he serves; dis-
countenancing everything that savors of political trickery and corruption, he
is pre-eminently qualified to serve his country in any capacity. " This just
criticism of the man is fully confirmed by his past record both in official and
private life.
But Mr. Otis is not only a factor in the political and religious life of the
community; he is also a highly respected and valued member of its society.
He is a close student and keeps in touch with the best thought of the day.
A Christian gentleman, a cultured member of society, a vvise and successful
business man, — he stands as a representative citizen, honored and respected
by the whole community.
In 1890. upon the retirement of his brother from business, he was
elected president of Otis Brothers & Company, which position he still holds.
In giving a brief account of the Otis Brothers & Company's Elevator
Works, we may first state that the company are the foremost builders of
passenger and freight elevators in the world. It would not be possible to
give a history of the great industry without mentioning the founder.
Elisha Graves Otis, who was the youngest of the six children of Stephen
Otis, and was born August 13, 181 1, was the inventor of the modern eleva-
tor, which has done so much for modern city life and development. Young
Otis lived on his father's farm at Halifax, Vermont, until the age of nineteen,
when he left for Troy, New York. In the latter city he resided five years
and was engaged in various building operations. On June 2, 1834, he was
married to Susan A. Houghton, of Halifax. She was the mother of his two
sons, Charles R. and Norton P. Otis, and died February 25, 1842. In 1838
Mr. Otis returned to Vermont and engaged for a time in the manufacture of
wagons and carriages. He continued in this occupation until 1845. His
second wife was Mrs. Betsey A. Boyd, whom he married in August, 1846. A
little later he removed to Albany and assumed the charge of the construction
of machinery in a large manufacturing establishment. Four years later he
withdrew from this employment in order to establish works of his own, but
was compelled eventually to give up this undertaking. We next find him
holding the position of mechanical superintendent of a furniture manufactory
at Hudson City, New Jersey. In 1852, this establishment was removed to
Yonkers.
Mr. Otis had charge, as organizer and mechanical superintendent, of
what was called the bedstead factory (foot of Vark street, subsequently occu-
pied by the New York Plow Company), and also superintended the erection
of a part of the buildings at Yonkers. It was during this later work that the
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 733
idea of the elevator occurred to him. The story of his invention has been
told as follows: During the building and equipment of this factory it became
necessary to construct an elevator for use on the premises, during the erec-
tion of which Mr. Otis developed some original devices, the most important
of which was one for preventing the fall of the platform in case of the break-
ing of the lifting rope. The machine attracted the attention of some New
York manufacturers, and soon afterward he secured several orders for eleva-
tors to go to that city. This was the beginning of the elevator business. So
successful was Mr. Otis in the manufacture and the constant improvement
of his new machine that he was obliged to withdraw from the Bedstead
Manufacturing Company and confine himself entirely to the construction of
elevators. He exhibited his new elevator at the Crystal Palace, London, in
185 1, where he attracted considerable attention by running the elevator car
to a considerable height while standing upon it and then cutting the rope.
The car did not fall, and by thus demonstrating his own confidence in the
usefulness of the invention, orders for the machines rapidly increased. Be-
fore the year of his death (1861), he had built up an extensive business and
the Otis elevator had become well known. In addition to his original inven-
tion, he constantly made improvements in the construction of the elevator,
and was also the inventor of many important mechanical devices. In per-
sonal character Mr. Otis was a man of great worth and integrity. He was
a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church of this city and was also a
strong anti-slavery and temperance man. From 1854 to 1858 from five to
fifteen men were employed, and the foreman was Charles R. Otis, his eldest
son.
About 1859 or i860, Mr. Elisha G. Otis designed, constructed and pat-
ented an independent engine capable of high speed, to raise or lower the
platform or car. This hoisting engine marked the beginning of the system
of steam elevators. In i860 and 1861 Charles R. Otis invented and patented
many important improvements. After the death of Elisha G. Otis in 1861,
the Otis Brothers — Charles R. and Norton P. — formed a partnership for the
continuance of the business. The beginning of the civil war stimulated trade
in" war materials, and elevators came into demand for various business houses.
Attention to business was required, and both brothers gave close attention to
the developing industry. Charles R. Otis worked throughout the day, and
sometimes during the entire night. Both sons made many inventions and
improvements. Norton P. Otis spent much of his time visiting towns and
cities throughout the country introducing the elevator.
In 1864 J. M. Alvord had become a partner, and the company was
known as Otis Brothers & Company. In 1867 Mr. Alvord sold his interest
to the Otis Brothers, after which a stock company was formed. Charles R,
734 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Otis was made president, Norton P. Otis, treasurer, and N. H. Stockweli,
secretary. Mr. Stockweli resigned the same year, and J. L. Hubbard became
secretary. The manufactory, at the corners of Woodworth, Wells and Ra-
vine avenues, has been occupied since 1868. In 1872 business had increased
to such an extent that during that year it amounted to three hundred and
ninety-three thousand dollars. After the company was incorporated the busi-
iness continued to increase rapidly until, in 1882, it was established on a
basis of over six hundred thousand dollars, and rapidly increasing. In June,
1882, the brothers retired, selling their interest to a syndicate of capitalists.
Later on the control returned to them again, and Charles R. was made presi-
dent, which position he held until 1890, when he retired, and since then his
brother, Norton P. Otis, has been the president of the company. The offi-
cers of the company at the present time are: President, Norton P. Otis;
vice president and secretary, Abraham G. Mills; and treasurer and general
manager, William Delavan Baldwin.
Employment is given in this city to about five hundred men, and there
is a constructing force of about one hundred and fifty constantly engaged in
setting up elevators throughout the country. They have recently perfected,
an electric elevator. The company has adopted, and made part of its sys-
tem, an electric motor, invented by the late Rudolph Eickemeyer, of this
city. Its valuable features are that it starts and stops with the car, thus
economizing power, and it is perfectly under the control of the operator.
The Otis elevators in use in New York city carry daily over four hundred
thousand passengers. These elevators are also used in the Eiffel tower at
Paris, Washington monument (D. C), Niagara Falls tower, the great trestle
used by the Hudson County Railroad at Weehawken, New Jersey, and were
used in the great manufactures and liberal arts building at the World's Fair
of 1893 at Chicago. The)' are also in use in every city of America, every
large city in Europe, and in South America and Australia, and quite a num-
ber in Egypt and China. The Otis Elevating Railroad in the Catskills,
which carries passengers up an incline seven thousand feet in length in ten
minutes, saving a journey by stage of four hours' duration, and the Prospect
Mountain Inclined Railway at Lake George, were built by this company.
WILLIAM H. HYLER.
A well known druggist and one of the prominent and representative busi-
ness men of Port Chester is William H. Hyler, who is a native of New York
city, where he was born January 6, 1846, a son of Adonijah Hyler, who spent
his entire life in the metropolis as an extensive contractor and builder. The
father also owned a large lumber-yard and a sash and blind factory on 125th
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 735
street, and met with a well merited success in his undertakings, continuing
to be actively engaged in business until a short time before his death, which
occurred when he was eighty-six years of age. He was truly a self-made
man, for he began life for himself without capital or the aid of influential
friends, and he not only gained a handsome competence, but by his upright
and honorable career won the confidence and high regard of all with whom
he came in contact. The Hyler family was founded in America by three
brothers, natives of Germany, among whom was the great-grandfather of our
subject. The grandfather was born in New York city, but when a young
man he removed to Albany, New York, and there engaged in agricultural
pursuits until his death. Our subject's mother was Catherine Ann Paris, of
New York, who died at the age of sixty-seven years, leaving one son and
six daughters. She was a prominent and faithful member of the Methodist
church.
Reared in New York, William H. Hyler began his education in the 125th
street public school, and later attended Patterson's private academy. Soon
after leaving the latter institution he began clerking in a tea broker's office,
where he remained until after the outbreak of the civil war. In February,
1862, he enlisted as landsman private in the United States Navy, and the
vessel to which he was assigned formed a part of the Atlantic squadron, but
it afterward went to the Pacific coast and was given up as lost. Before his
term expired Mr. Hyler was discharged on account of physical disability
caused by exposure, but after remaining at home a short time he re-enlisted,
December 5, 1864, in the One Hundred and Fifty-ninth New York Volunteer
Infantry, as private, and was sent to Hart Island. He was on specialty duty
in taking soldiers to the field and bringing back rebel prisoners for two or
three months, and then rejoined his regiment, going from Washington, D.
C, to Virginia. At the close of the war he was mustered out at Augusta,
Georgia, and returned home.
Mr. Hyler then entered Packard's Business College, where he was gradu-
ated in the same class as General E. A. McAlpin, late assistant adjutant-gen-
eral of the state of New York. In 1867 Mr. Hyler went to Bridgeport, Con-
necticut, where he clerked for some time in the drug store of his brother-in-
law, C. G. Pendleton, and then attended the College of Pharmacy, New
York, graduating at that institution in 1869, after which he accepted a posi-
tion in the drug store of George C. Close, of Brooklyn, who was president of
the college. Coming to Port Chester in 1872, Mr. Huyler has made his home
here continuously since, and previously to 1876 engaged in the drug business
in the old building now occupied by William J. Foster's ice-cream factory.
For a short time he engaged in business in the store occupied by John Reid,
.but removed to the Centennial building on its completion, April i, 1876, and
736 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
has since carried on operations there with most gratifying success, building
up a large and lucrative trade.
Mr. Hyler married Miss Carrie E. Sniffin, of Port Chester, and to them
were born two children: Carrie Frances, now the wife of W. D. Lippincott;
and E. Agnes, at home.
In 1873 Mr. Hyler joined the Harry Howard Hook & Ladder Company,
and was honored by his comrades by an election as assistant foreman, serv-
ing in that capacity for two years, and later as foreman for three years. He
also joined Company I, Twenty-seventh Regiment, National Guards, State of
New York, and was elected first lieutenant, being commissioned by Governor
S. T. Tilden. On the resignation of Captain Charles J. Chatfield he was
made commanding officer and served as such for two years. He had com-
mand of the company at the time of the great railroad riots, as Captain
Chatfield was unable to leave the village. Politically he is a stanch Repub-
lican, and for four years most acceptably served as postmaster at Port Ches-
ter, under Harrison's administration. In 1878 he was elected coroner, and
so satisfactorily did he perform the duties of that office that he was elected
for a second term three years later. He became a member of Charles Law-
rence Post, G. A. R. , on its organization, served as its commander several
terms, has been honored by an appointment on the staff of the department
commander, and now holds the position of post quartermaster. He also
belongs to Mamaro Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Wappannoco Tribe, I. O. R. M. ;
Court Poningoe, O. F. A. ; Port Chester Council, R. A. ; and the Firemen's
Benevolent Fund Association. For six years he has served as school director,
has been vestryman of St. Peter's church several years, and at present is one
of the trustees of the Free Library and Reading Room, and also one of the
trustees of public lands. It will thus be seen that he has been prominently
identified with public affairs in the village, and he has always been found
true and faithful to every trust reposed in him.
J. CLARENCE SMITH.
J. Clarence Smith, an enterprising young business man of Mount Ver-
non, Westchester county, resides at No. 98 West Lincoln avenue. He was
born in Orange county, New York, in the village of Mount Hope, October
24, 1863, his parents' being WiUiam and Margeret (Niver) Smith. Jesse
Smith, the paternal grandfather of our subject, lived on Long Island in his
early life and followed the occupation of farming, as had his father, Wessel
Smith, before him. Jesse Smith served in the war of 181 2, and was after-
ward granted a pension. When about twenty-five years of age, and unmar-
ried, he went to the vicinity of Mount Hope and taught school for several
^>^'<*^i:^^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 737
years. There he married and had six children, namely: Jesse, Jr., Will-
iam, Emeline, Charles, Sallie and Arminta. He died at the advanced age
of ninety-two years, and his wife was three-score and ten at the time of her
demise. Politically, he was a Democrat, and for a period was a justice of
the peace. In the Baptist church he was considered quite a leader, and
for his day he was a man of exceptionally good education and general attain-
ments.
William Smith, mentioned above, was born in the neighborhood of
Mount Hope and was a graduate of Ridgebury Academy. He met with a
serious accident when he was about seventeen, a tree falling upon him. The
doctors insisted that his leg should be amputated, but he fought their deci-
sion and would not permit the operation to be performed. It was fully two
years ere he regained the use of the injured member, and afterward, when
he presented himself as a volunteer for the Union service, he was rejected
on account of his partially crippled state. He taught school for a number
of years in his home district, and later, at North Moreland, Pennsylvania,
for some three or four years. He followed the same calling in Centerton,
Huron county, Ohio, several years. He was married, for the first time, in
Ohio, bringing his wife to the old homestead in Orange county. New York,
where she died in 1869. The remains were taken to her Ohio home for
burial. In 1877 he sold his Orange county property and settled in New
York city, where he resided up to the time of his death in November, 1884,
at the age of fifty-nine years. While living in the city he was engaged in
the novelty business for a few years. He was a Democrat, and while in
Orange county was a justice of the peace for a time. He had but two chil-
dren,— J. Clarence, and Alice, Mrs. Theodore Green, of Mount Vernon. He
died in New York city in 1882, and was taken to Otisville, Orange county,
for burial.
The education of J. Clarence was obtained in the public schools of
Mount Hope and New York. Just before the time for his graduation he
embarked in business life as a clerk at No. 229 Broadway, New York. He
remained there for a year and then clerked for two years in a tea and coffee
store on Greenwich street, which position he left when seventeen years of
age, going to Greenwich, Ohio, where he established a small tea and coffee
business, which was not successful.
Returning to New York a year later, chagrinned at his failure and dis-
gusted with that line of business, he secured employment from a firm in New
York city doing a retail business in milk, cream and other dairy products,
where by close economy and strict attention to business he was enabled,
after two years, to buy a half interest in a small milk route in Mott Haven,
New York city. A little more age and experience, together with the con-
47
738 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
stant thought of his first unsuccessful effort, made him determined that this
venture should not fail. The business prospered, and after six years, during
which time it had increased to five routes, Mr. Smith, seeing the great oppor-
tunities offered to an enterprising business in Mount Vernon, then a town of
about six thousand, but destined to be, as it is to-day, a city of homes,
decided to sell out and locate there, which he did in 1890, forming a co-part-
nership with A. W. Halstead and establishing the Willow Brook Dairy,
'vvhich has become a household word in Mount Vernon. In 1896 a branch
•was established in New Rochelle, and in 1897 the Willow Brook creamery
was built by the firm at Merwinsville, Connecticut, in the famous Housatonic
valley, where the grass and pure spring water is peculiarly adapted to pre-
: serving in milk a quality and flavor unsurpassed by any other section. The
iplant is a model of its kind, having perfect natural drainage and pure spring
water piped to all parts of the building, which is constructed on the most
approved scientific plans for convenience and cleanliness, and health boards
and dairy inspectors who have visited the establishment have no hesitancy in
{pronouncing its equipment and the methods there employed second to none.
Here at the present time are received daily over twelve thousand pounds of
■milk, the greater portion of which is put up in glass jars and shipped to
Mount Vernon and New Rochelle. This firm was one of the first to demon-
strate the necessity, in these days of bacteria, microbes and disease germs,
of employing centrifugal force to prevent their growth in milk. That this
method is successful is proven by the uniform quality and fine flavor of milk
so treated, at all seasons and regardless of climatic changes. The firm is
now running ten retail wagons and employ twenty men, doing a business of
over eighty thousand dollars per annum. Mr. Smith has devoted a great
deal of time and serious study to the matter of rendering the products which
he buys and sells absolutely pure. The results of the labor and money
which he has invested in perfecting the processes used in his various plants
are most satisfactory, and he now stands at the head of the live, energetic
men whose duty it is to supply the people of the great cities adjacent with
pure, wholesome milk and dairy products. While the state board of health
requires three per cent, of butter-fat in milk, an average of four and a half
per cent, is to be found in the milk handled by this firm.
August 10, 1885, Mr. Smith married Miss Minnie J. Carey, and they
have two sons, William Carey and Leland Clarence. Mrs. Smith is a daugh-
ter of Dr. J. M. Carey, a retired physician of Elmira, New York. He has
been a very prominent man in his profession and was a member of the Penn-
sylvania legislature some years ago, being elected to represent Wyoming
county. He is a veteran of the civil war, enlisted as a private, and was pro-
moted for gallant conduct to be captain of his company. He was wounded
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 739
at the battle of the Wilderness, but later rejoined his regiment and served
until the close of the war in a cavalry regiment, which did good service at
the battle of Gettysburg and other important engagements. He now receives
a pension for his brave and loyal support of the Union in its time of need.
Some of his ancestors suffered in the dreadful Wyoming massacre.
ULRIC XAVIER GRIFFIN.
The Griffin family is an old and honored one in America. The progeni-
tors of the American branch came from England more than two hundred
years ago. Francis Griffin, grandfather of Ulric Xavier Griffin, was a native
of New York city and became eminent as a lawyer, and was for many years
at the head of the celebrated Wall street law firm of Francis Griffin & Com-
pany. He married Mary Sands, a daughter of an old family of prominence,
and she bore him three sons and two daughters: Edward Dorr Griffin, of
whom more will be said later; Charles Griffin, well known as a civil engineer;
George, now retired from business pursuits; Theresa, wife of General Velie,
of New York city; and Emily Seaton, who married Colonel Lyneviet, of the
German army and lives at Dresden. Edward Dorr Griffin received a liberal
education in the United States and Germany. He was educated for the law
but never practiced his profession, preferring to live the life of a private
gentleman at New Rochelle. He married Elizabeth Hicks and in course of
time the elegant Hicks homestead came into his possession and was his home
until his death. He had five children, of whom Ulric Xavier was the last
born, February 21, 1862. Francis, the eldest, is a prominent lawyer of
Brooklyn. Richard has attained standing as an actor. Charles is a popular
physician. Julia became Mrs. Wheeler.
Ulric Xavier Griffin was educated at Fordham College. Immediately
after his graduation at that institution in 1878 he took up politics and at
once became active as a worker for the success of the Republican party.
But, prominent as he grew to be in local political councils, he was not an
office-seeker, nor did he accept any one of the several offered him for the
taking until, some years ago, with the interests of the village foremost in his
mind, he consented to become a member of the board of trustees of New
Rochelle. Under the city organization he was, in 1897, nominated by the
Repubhcans and endorsed by the Democrats for alderman from the second
ward. He was elected practically without opposition and re-elected in the
same manner in 1899. Mr. Griffin has been a model alderman, and a board
composed of such aldermen would put any city in the country on a high
place politically and morally. It is to be regretted that more men of his
ability and sterling honesty cannot be induced to take an active interest in
740 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
municipal affairs. He has made his influence felt as a delegate to conven-
tions year after year, and as a member of the board of health has been of
great service to the city. He has " served his time " in the fire department
as a member of Huguenot Engine company and is now an exempt fireman.
His liking for sports afield and astream has made him a member of the
National Sportsmen's Association. He is a member. of the Knights of Co-
lumbus and of other leading secret and social organizations. Mr. Griffin was
married May 28, 1883, to Margaret Day, a woman of many accomplishments,
who has borne him four children: Lilian, Malvern, Francis and Olive.
Mr. Griffin is one of New Rochelle's most public-spirited and helpful
citizens and has always given freely of his time and means to advance every
deserving local interest. He is one of the few men who have had to do with
the municipal affairs of the little city who have had the time to study the
city's needs and to lead in the work of supplying them, and his influence is of
a character that renders it indispensable when the public good is considered.
CHARLES W. CARPENTER.
Charles W. Carpenter, proprietor of Sunnyside Farm, near Jefferson
Valley post office, Westchester county, is one of the best-known agri-
culturists of this county. He has been a life-long resident within its borders,
and first saw the light of day in the old family homestead at Shrub Oak,
September 18, 1855. His father, John W. Carpenter, was born in the same
house, thirty-six years previously, in 18 19, and passed his entire life in that
neighborhood. He died when in his seventy-third year, October 16, 1891,
mourned by those who had been closely associated with him in business and
social relations. His wife, Eliza, the daughter of Ebenezer and Mary
(Baker) Horton, died in October, 1892.
Among the oldest and most prominent residents of Shrub Oak was John
Wilson Carpenter, who was born January 7, 18 17. His parents were
Walter Carpenter and Ann nee Summerbell. His paternal ancestors were
from the north of England, while his maternal were Scotch. John Wilson
Carpenter received a common-school education. Much of his life was spent
on his farm at Shrub Oak. He was also for a number of years proprietor
of the Carpenter House, at Lake Mahopac, where he spent the summer
months. Mr. Carpenter was a progressive and enterprising citizen. He
represented his town (Yorktown township) in the board of supervisors dur-
ing the years 1877-80. He was married November 22, 1850, to Eliza
Horton, daughter of Ebenezer and Mary (Baker) Horton, and by their union
they had three children: Charles W., Walter and Jennie. The last named
resides with her brother, Walter, at Lake Mahopac.
^<r7^T>^ ^Z* /j OJX^ a^pz/i^
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 741
In his youth Charles W. Carpenter mastered the various departments of
farm work and became proficient in the three "R's" and other branches of
learning taught in the district schools of the period. He concluded to follow
in the footsteps of his ancestors in the choice of an occupation, and the
prosperity which has crowned his efforts proves the wisdom of his decision
in this important matter. About two decades ago he purchased the beauti-
ful farm where he is still living. This property comprises two hundred and
fifteen acres, suitable for general farming and stock-raising. The fine large
barns and dairy-rooms are among the most notable features of the place,
everything being kept in excellent condition. The barn has box-stalls for
the accommodation of forty horses, and the owner justly prides himself
on several of his fine horses, which occupy the said stalls. In fact,
Sunnyside Farm is one of the best stocked farms in the county, and over its
pleasant green pastures large droves of high-grade Holstein cattle roam at
will. The farm is located about seven miles from Peekskill and is an ideal
country seat in every respect. The proprietor is a practical farmer and uses
good judgment in the management of all of his business affairs. He is broad-
minded and liberal upon all questions and uses his franchise independent of
party ties.
On the 17th of April, 1887, Mr. Carpenter was married in New York
city, the lady of his choice being Miss Viola Hart, daughter of John C. Hart,
who for many years was a successful merchant of New York city and is now
deceased. His wife, Mary Ann, was a daughter of Stephen Allen, who was
mayor of that metropolis in the early days. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Car-
penter attend the Shrub Oak Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mrs.
Carpenter is a consistent member. They contribute liberally of their means
to the support of the church and kindred organizations. Their hospitality
and generosity are matters of comment among their numerous friends and
acquaintances, and all who know them are their well-wishers.
JOHN ROMER.
Captain John Romer, the last surviving soldier of the Revolution, living
in the town of Greenburg, died in 1855, aged ninety-one years. He was the
youngest of five brothers, sons of Jacob Romer and Trena ne'e Horlocker,
who came from Switzerland and after their marriage in the old Dutch church
in Sleepy Hollow, in 1759, settled at what is now known as East View, near
Tarrytown. It was at this house that the seven captors of Major Andre ob-
tained their breakfast and had a lunch prepared by Mrs. Romer and placed
in a pewter basin for them to take with them. James Romer, the brother of
John Romer, being one of the party of seven who had slept the night prev-
742 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
ious in a hay barrack near Chappaqua, guided his little band to the secluded
home of his father, to which place they brought Major Andre immediately
after his capture. Whilst dinner was being prepared they discovered that
they had forgotten the pewter basin, containing their lunch, in their hurry to
get their captive away from the public highway. John Romer, being the
youngest, was sent to obtain it from their place of concealment by the noted
tulip tree standing on the east side of the lower highway, some six hundred feet
west of the upper road, where the other party of four had stationed them-
selves. Upon his return with the basin he accompanied the captors, with
their prisoner, across the fields to the nearest military post, where a detach-
ment of Shelden's dragoons were stationed, under command of Lieutenant-
Colonel Jameson. John Romer, together with the seven captors, were all
members of the local militia regiment, five companies of which, having com-
pleted some few weeks previous to Andre's capture one year's active service,
desired to re-enlist under the urgent call for volunteers, but were detained on
account of the inability of the state authorities to provide them sufficient pay
to support their families for a period of three months. The depression of
the Continental currency was finally overcome by the state substitutingtwelve
bushels of wheat in lieu of money to each volunteer for that period of time.
After the Revolution, John Romer married Leah, only daughter of
Lieutenant Cornelius Van Tassel, of Colonel Drake's regiment. In 1793
they erected upon the site of Liutenant Van Tassel's former residence, that
was burned by the British in November, 1777, the noted stone and frame
dwelling that was used for more than fifty years as the town house and place
for holding all the elections and public meetings of the town of Greenburg.
The annual muster of the militia for a large portion of the county was held
here; also the meetings of Solomon's Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons
that was organized at Mount Pleasant, now known as Pleasantville, after the
Revolution. The subject of this sketch was made a member in the year
1800, after which the lodge was removed to White Plains, and from there to
the Lieutenant Van Tassel house in Greenburg. It was here, in 1805, that
the Hon. Daniel D. Tompkins, who became governor of the state, and
afterward vice-president of the United States, was first admitted a member of
the Masonic fraternity. During Governor Tompkins' administration, Captain
Romer took an active part in organizing the various companies and battalions
of militia required to complete the various quotas of troops called by several
acts of congress, and was one of the first to engage in repairing Fort Wash-
ington, on the upper end of the city of New York. He took a very active
part in all public matters, and was one of the twenty-four prominent citizens
of Westchester county who signed the celebrated certificate given to Isaac
Van Wart, one of the captors of Major Andre, whose character had been
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 743
fiercely assailed in the debate in congress upon the bill to increase the pen-
sion of John Paulding, one of his associates in that memorable event. At
the dedication of the monument to the captors of Major Andre at Tarrytown,.
in 1853, Captain John Romer was the guest of honor, and the only one then
living who had seen Major Andre in person. He designated for the commit-
tee the correct place of capture upon the east side of the highway. The
owner of the property objecting to locating it upon the place designated, the
committee of arrangements accepted the offer of a piece of land on the west
side of the highway, some distance south of the actual place of capture,
which was generously deeded to them by Mr. Taylor, formerly a slave, who
had purchased his freedom from bondage.
Captain John Romer died at his old homestead on the 27th of May,
1855, ^iid was buried by Solomon's Lodge in the church-yard of the Presby-
terian church of Greenburg, near the monument of his life-long friend, Isaac
Van Wart. All the local traditions and reports concerning him indicate that
be was kind, honest and upright, a good citizen and a pleasant neighbor,
possessing during life the respect and esteem of all who knew him. The fact
that he was a soldier at sixteen, and again at the age of forty-eight, serving his
country at the two extremes of life, as it were, is a sufficient indication that in
patriotism he was a worthy representative of the Westchester county yeo-
men, whose fidelity, perseverance and endurance did so much for the cause
of American liberty in the days that tried men's souls.
ARTHUR W. NUGENT.
Lieutenant Arthur Wellesley Nugent is a son of Richard and Elizabeth-
(Scarner) Nugent and was born at Yonkers, New York, September 11, 1863.
He was one of ten brothers, five of whom are living, and more than one of
whom possessed a patriotic and a military spirit which impelled them to
endure hardship and risk life in the service of their country. Frederick was
killed at Kobe, Japan, while with Admiral Proctor in a United States flag-
ship. He was a graduate of the school-ship St. Mary and a promising young
officer in the naval and merchant-marine service. Charles served during the
recent Spanish-American war as first lieutenant of Company B, Two Hun-
dred and Third Regiment. Robert was a member of Company D, Sixteenth
Battalion, and participated in its operations at Verplanke Point, Peekskill,
and other localities.
Arthur Wellesley Nugent enlisted in the Fourth Separate Company, Na-
tional Guard of New York, July 7, 1885; was warranted corporal December 24,
1889; was warranted sergeant January 20, 1894, and commissioned second
lieutenant of the National Guard of New York March 4, 1898, by Governor
744 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Black. On July 6th following Governor Black commissioned him first lieu-
tenant in the Two Hundred and Second New York Volunteer Infantry, and
he was assigned to duty with Company G, and did gallant service in the
Spanish-American war. He was mustered into the service of the United
States with his regiment at Buffalo, July 21, and was stationed successively
at Camp Black, Long Island, Camp Meade, at Middletown, Pennsylvania,
and Camp Haskell, at Athens, Georgia. Thence the regiment went to
Savannah, Georgia, and from Savannah, by transports, to Havana, Cuba.
For a month it was stationed at Pinar del Rio, in the province of the same
name, later, with headquarters at Guanajay, it did garrison and provost duty
at different points. He subsequently saw varying service elsewhere in Cuba
and was mustered out of the service April 15, 1899, at Savannah, Georgia,
and returned home. He is still a member of the Fourth Separate Company,
— Company A, First Regiment, N. G. N. Y.
Lieutenant Nugent was educated in the public schools of Yonkers, and
under private tutors, and while yet quite young engaged in electrical contract-
ing. He secured many large contracts to fit up public and private buildings
with electrical apparatus and conveniences, at times employed twenty-five to
thirty men, aad in a general way won a flattering success.
Politically, Lieutenant Nugent affiliates with the Democratic party and
personally he is so popular that it would be hard for him to keep out of
office entirely. He has served one term as a member of the board of alder-
men of Yonkers, and has done good work as chairman of the committee on
laws and ordinances and as a member of other important committees. He
is a prominent Mason and Odd Fellow and a member of Shaffner Encamp-
ment and one of its past chief patriarchs. In Rising Star Lodge, A. F. &
A. , M. and in Yonkers Lodge, I. O. O. F. , he is a faithful and efficient worker.
The Lieutenant was married March 22, 1888, to Frances Ewing, daugh-
ter of the late John Ewing, who will be remembered as a prominent citizen
and a landscape-gardener of artistic.accomplishments. They have three chil-
dren, named Edith A., Helen and Arthur Wellesley Nugent, Jr.
ISAAC PURDY.
Mr. Purdy is one of the best and most favorably known citizens of West-
chester county, having long been prominently identified with the business
interests of his locality and recently the most popular member of the county
board of supervisors. Of great business and executive ability and broad
resources, he has attained a prominent place among the substantial citizens
of his part of the county, with Purdy Station, named in honor of his father,
as his residence and the center of his operations. He has won success by
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 745
his well directed, energetic efforts, and the prosperity that has come to him
is certainly well deserved.
Mr. Purdy was born November 3, 1852, and is a representative of an
old and well-known family, being able to trace his ancestry back for many
generations. His great-grandfather, Joseph Purdy, was born September 5,
1744, and married Letitia Guile. Their son Isaac, the grandfather of our
subject, was born January 6, 1773, and on reaching man's estate wedded
Miss Lydia Clift, by whom he had five children, — Samuel C, Sallie Ann,
Roxanna, Clarissa and Lydia. After her death he married Anna Hart, and
by this marriage there were two children, — Isaac Hart and Mary Eliza. For
his third wife Mr. Purdy was united in marriage with Jane Grant, and to
them were born three daughters, — Jane, Letitia and Christina. Mr. Purdy
filled the office of supervisor from 1823 to 1827.
Isaac H. Purdy, our subject's father, was born June 19, 1813, and in
1839 was united in marriage with Miss Mary W. Lyon, a daughter of Thomas
Lyon, a representative of an old and honored family, and his wife, Mary
(Totten) Lyon, who was a daughter of Gilbert Totten. Mr. and Mrs. Purdy
became the parents of five children, namely: Elizabeth Lyon, Mary, Anna
Hart, Isaac and Thomas Lyon. The father, who was a Democrat in polit-
ical sentiment, and highly respected as a citizen of this county, died in 1891
at the age of seventy-eight years. The widowed mothea: now finds a pleas-
ant home with our subject. Mr. Purdy was the supervisor of his township
from 1846 to 1850 and from 1856 to 1857.
Reared in Westchester county, Isaac Purdy obtained his education in its
public schools, and since leaving the school-room has devoted his attention
to business pursuits. He has been engaged in the milling business and other
enterprises, and in all he has met with marked success.
Like his father, he gives his political support to the men and measures
of the Democratic party, and he is now serving most creditably as a county
supervisor. Both in his party and as a member of the board of supervisors,
he is a leader, and has become one of the best and most favorably known
men in the county. His election as a Democrat to the board of supervisors
is particularly significant of his popularity in both the great parties, as he is
thus elected in a county that has heretofore been represented by a long line
of Republican supervisors, and his district, North Salem township, has always
been the strongest Republican locality in the county. It is only his personal
popularity that has drawn votes so heavily from both parties. His re-election
in 1898 is a testimonial to the fidelity to all the duties of his office. At the
time he was first elected he was acting as school trustee, and an attempt was
made in the courts to oust him from the supervisorship. He served during
thesessi ons of 1896-7, and was placed on many important committees by
746 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Gideon W. Davenport, who was then chairman of the board, but was debarred
from acting at the opening sessions of the board in 1897-8 by a decision of
the courts, which held that the holding of the office of school trustee made
him ineligible for election as supervisor. The town officers of his county,
when all Republican, appointed Mr. Purdy to fill the vacancy caused by the
decision of the courts, and his re-election later approved this appointment,
and he received the largest majority ever given a Democrat in North Salem
township, carrying with him into office the full Democratic ticket for the first
time in the history of the town. Chauncey Secor, chairman of the board at
that time, honored him with appointment on three of the most significant
committees, namely, those on the county treasurer, the auditing of the sheriff's
bills (of which he was appointed chairman), and also a special committee to
prepare plans for the erection of an addition to the court-house, of which
also he was chairman. In the auditing of the sheriff's bills he was brought
in contact with a wide range of business, which involved the auditing of bills
aggregating more than a hundred thousand dollars. During the campaigns
the public press gave uniform testimony establishing his high moral character,
business efficiency and official integrity.
JOSEPH H. LEWIS.
The healthy growth and development of a community depends largely
upon its real-estate dealers, who exercise a wide influence in the settlement
of a locality. It largely lies in their power to determine the class of people
that shall become residents of a given district, the property of which they
handle, and thus their labors may prove of great benefit or detriment. Joseph
H. Lewis, one of the most enterprising citizens of "White Plains, in his
province as a leading real-estate dealer, has done effective work for the
advancement and upbuilding of the city, and belongs to that class of repre-
sentative Americans who while securing individual prosperity also contribute
materially to the public good. His business reputation is unassailable, his
honorable methods and correct policy winning him the confidence and regard
of all with whom he has been brought in contact.
Mr. Lewis was born in Williamsbutg, Hampshire county, Massachusetts,
July 31, 1835, a son of Joseph J. and Mary R. (Rhoades) Lewis. Prior to
the Revolutionary war the family was founded in Massachusetts, and Joseph
Lewis, the great-grandfather of our subject, loyally aided in the struggle for
independence, taking part in the ever memorable battle of Bunker Hill. The
grandfather, also named Joseph, was born in the Bay state, but the father
of our subject was a native of Middletown, Connecticut, his birth occurring
therein 18 10. He married Miss Rhoades, who was born in Chesterfield,
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 747^
Massachusetts, in 1811, a daughter of Stephen and Mary (Flower) Rhoades,
who also were natives of Chesterfield. In 1840 Joseph J. Lewis removed-
with his family to Westchester county, New York, settling in the village of
Sing Sing, where he engaged in the manufacture of saddlery hardware for
several years. He died in 1867, and his wife passed away in Sing Sing,
December 27, 1884.
Joseph H. Lewis, whose name introduces this record, was only a small
boy when brought by his parents to Westchester county. He obtained his-
elementary education in Sing Sing and for several years attended a school at
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, supplemented by a course in the Peekskill Academy.
After spending two years in New York city he went to Columbus, Ohio,
where for four years he was employed in the manufacture of saddlery hard-
ware for Peter Hayden. Later he spent several years in the manufacture of
malleable iron, in Newark, New Jersey. In 1867 he came to White Plains-
and was appointed by J. Malcolm Smith to the position of deputy county
clerk, in which office he continued by reappointment for fifteen years, dis-
charging his duties in a most acceptable and faithful manner. On the expira-
tion of that period he turned his attention to the real-estate business and has
since handled both city and farm property, meeting with excellent success in
his endeavors.
On the. 9th of December, 1863, Mr. Lewis was united in marriage to
Miss Deborah A. Newman, youngest daughter of Ebenezer M. and Amanda
J. (CombesJ Newman. She was born in the town of Mount Pleasant, West-
chester"county, and is a representative of one of the old and prominent fam-
ilies of this locality. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis have three children, — two sons
and one daughter, — namely: Joseph H., Mary Amanda and Frank Tilford.
In his political views Mr. Lewis is a Democrat, and the religious faith of
himself and wife is in accord with the teachings of the Dutch Reformed
church. They hold membership in the church of that denomination at Elms-
ford, and Mr. Lewis is serving as one of its deacons. Their beautiful home,
Woodside, is one of the attractive residences of White Plains, and for it&
hospitality it is widely celebrated.
THE WILDEY FAMILY.
The Wildey family, prominent in Westchester county in early days, is
descended from Thomas Wildey, who probably came here from Mamaro-
neck, though at a still earlier date, 1698, the names of Wilde and Elizabeth,
his wife, appear in the census of Flushing, Long Island. Very probably they
were the parents of Thomas Wildey, of PhiHpse manor, who was the great-
grandfather of Mrs. Storm, the wife of Captain John I. Storm, whose sketch.
748 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
appears in this work. His will, dated October 7, 1776, showed him to be
possessed of a considerable estate. After the Revolution his farm, of two
hundred and sixty-two acres, comprising the present Benedict-Cobb estate
and other lands adjoining, came into possession of his sons-in-law, Colonel
Hammond and Captain George Comb, who were his executors. He left the
following children: Griffin, Joseph, Jacob, Caleb, Thomas, John, Nencia
(wife of Colonel Hammond), Elizabeth (wife of Captain Comb) and Sarah.
Of these, Thomas Wildey, Jr. (as the name is now spelled), had a son Will-
iam, who was the father of William H. Wildey, now of Peekskill.
Caleb Wildey, son of Thomas, Sr. , lived on the property at the corner
of Wildey street and Broadway in Tarrytown. He married Deborah McKeel,
and among their children was Pierre, who wedded Mary Ann Mandeville, and
was the father of Pierre W. Wildey. , Esq. , of New York. The other sons of
Caleb Wildey, Sr. , were Caleb, Jr., William A. and Elisha. A daughter
married the late Henry L. Haight, who was engaged in business with his
brother-in-law, Pierre Wildey, at Philipse manor, for many years, being well
known and influential members of the old Point Dock Regency. Another
daughter, Sarah, married Jasper Odell and was the mother of John J. Odell,
of Tarrytown.
JOHN C. L. HAMILTON.
John Cornelius Leon Hamilton, the youngest son of John C. A. Hamil-
ton and Angeline, nee Rdmer, was born in Galena, Illinois, November 29,
1842, and is a direct descendant of General Alexander Hamilton, and Eliza-
beth, 7iee Schuyler, on his paternal side. Captain John Romer, his grand-
father, and Lieutenant Cornelius Van Tassel, both of the Revolution, were
his maternal ancestors. He was educated in the pubhc and private schools
of the town of Greenburg, Westchester county. New York.
After completing a three-years course of study at the noted Paulding
Institute at Tarrytown, he was sent to Rutgers College, New Jersey, and
while engaged in his studies there the call for seventy-five thousand volun-
teers to uphold the flag was made by the president, Abraham Lincoln, under
which he enlisted as a private in Company C, Fifth New York Volunteers
(Duryee's Zouaves), and participated with that heroic regiment in the first
real battle of the rebellion, at Big Bethel, Virginia. On the arrival of a por-
tion of the regiment at Baltimore from a protracted march of one hundred
and fifty miles down the eastern shore of Maryland, in December, 1861, he
was detailed as private secretary to the brigade commander, and while acting
as such revised and corrected for publication a voluminous manuscript upon
the "Art of War," and at the same time continued the study of military
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 749
engineering, under the supervision of Colonel Gouverneur K. Warren. Upon
the organization of the Third New York Artillery, early in 1862, he was com-
missioned a second lieutenant and joined Company G of that regiment, sta-
tioned at Fort Woodbury, near Bull Run, Virginia, and was immediately
detailed to drill and instruct the officers in infantry and artillery practice at
Fort Cochran, that state. The regiment having been ordered to reinforce
General Burnside's expedition in North Carolina, Lieutenant Hamilton, imme-
diately after its arrival at New Berne, that state, was detached by orders of
Generals John G. Foster and Burnside from his regiment and assigned to the
engineer corps. His services in this particular line of duty were of the most
arduous kind. Several thousands of unskilled contrabands were employed
that required constant supervision. The construction of forts, redoubts and
breast-works, and strengthening of strategic points, permitting of no rest or
relief from the extreme heat and enervating climate.
Fort Macon, distant forty-two miles from New Berne, having been cap-
tured, Lieutenant Hamilton was directed to open an air line through the
woods and swamps and construct observatories for the use of the signal corps
to that point. When this important work was completed he was carried to
the hospital, where the ravages of typhoid and malarial fever soon reduced
him to a mere skeleton, so that he weighed but eighty-five pounds. His
friends gave up all hope, and the chaplain had taken note of the last requests
to family and friends. The turning point toward recovery came rapidly,
however, and when application for a leave of absence for thirty days was
made it was returned endorsed, " Request denied:" the services of this officer
were too valuable to be spared. The attention of the medical director of
the department having been called to the matter, that officer issued the
desired leave, and upon its expiration, September i, 1862, orders from
Major-General Foster directed Lieutenant Hamilton to proceed and fortify
Washington, North Carolina. Four days after his arrival there the enemy
made a fierce attack upon the small garrison. For several hours the unequal
hand-to-hand struggle continued in the streets and severe losses occurred
upon both sides. Lieutenant Hamilton upon this occasion displayed the
utmost coolness and bravery, and although the enemy had taken a large
number of his men prisoners and captured four brass field pieces, the contest
was continued with the fifth gun until he alone was left, twenty-two of his
command having fallen around him before the order to retreat was given!
After the battle active work upon the fortifications was continued for
several months, during which Mr. Hamilton gave all his spare time, in con-
nection with Lieutenant John J. Lay of the navy, in perfecting an experi-
mental torpedo vessel, which, upon its trial, proved a great success, and by
direction of the secretary of the navy five vessels were directed to be built
750 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
after the plans developed. The first constructed was sent to the fleet at the
mouth of the Roanoke river in Albemarle sound, and under the command of
Lieutenant Gushing destroyed the iron-clad ram Albemarle, at Plymouth,
North Carolina. Orders were then issued assigning Lieutenant Hamilton
chief engineer to Major-General Hunt, afterward the chief of artillery of the
Army of the Potomac. That officer gave him a number of men with instruc-
tions to construct a fort upon Neuse river, afterward known as Fort Heck-
man, but, owing to the large number of men and government supplies at
Washington, North Carolina, and the urgent necessity of completing the
works at that point, Major-General Palmer, commanding the department,
directed Lieutenant Hamilton to return there. On March 31, 1863, Major-
General Foster arrived and ordered Lieutenant Hamilton to ascertain
whether the Confederate forces of General Hill that he expected would soon
attack the garrison had arrived with artillery at Red Hill, a Confederate out-
post. In executing this order one captain and five privates of the Forty-
fourth Massachusetts Volunteers were wounded. The enemy had not then
arrived in force, but did during the night and completely surrounded the town.
At daylight, April i, they commenced an attack upon one of our naval
vessels, the Commodore Hull, which unfortunately was aground. Lieuten-
ant Hamilton was ordered, with two small rifle cannons, to take position
upon an exposed point on the river and endeavor to draw the enemy's fire
away from the gunboat, which had been struck one hundred and four times
and had all her guns dismounted. The enemy were so intent upon sinking
this vessel that no attention was paid to the guns on shore until the gunboat,
released from her position by the rising tide, started rapidly away. Then
they turned their fourteen Whitworth guns against the two, and kept up a
constant fire until dark. General Foster directed that a fort be constructed
at this exposed point during the night, and siege guns mounted. This he
built and named it Fort Hamilton, in honor of its commander. It bore a
•conspicuous part in that memorable siege that lasted twenty days.
Lieutenant Hamilton's health having become very much impaired, he
returned north, during the draft riots, and took an active part in quelling the
disturbances at Tarrytown, and after a much needed rest returned to the
front. By advice of his physicians he resided for a considerable time after
the close of the Rebellion in the thickly wooded pine-tree sections of the
south. The later years of his life has been spent in the neighborhood of his
boyhood home. He has contributed many interesting historical sketches to
the public press, and for the past few years has been engaged in gathering
material for a history of Phillips Manor.
At 4:30 A. M. on the morning of September 6, 1862, Lieutenant Hamil-
.ton became acquainted with a young lady of Washington, North Carolina,
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 751
who had appealed to him, in the midst of a fierce hand-to-hand conflict, for
protection, some of the opposing military forces, separated in the heat of
the battle from their comrades without permission, having taken refuge upon
her premises and in her dwellings. This brief acquaintance was rewarded
successfully a short time afterward when Lieutenant Hamilton appealed to
the young lady to provide a home and shelter for an aged slave, he having
been the trusted family servant of the leading Confederate of all that terri-
tory. This interview also procured the use of a warehouse with forge and
much needed temporary supply of coal, which contributed toward the con-
struction of the experimental torpedo boat, in order to bridge over the delay
until charcoal kilns could be prepared and burned. These casual interviews,
principally of a formal business nature, were, however, destined to bring
about a permanent acquaintance. Lieutenant Hamilton's duties being of
such an onerous character, requiring the use of three horses during the day
and much mental labor until late at night, and his health not fully recovered,
at length he suddenly succumbed, and was found in an unconscious state at
his quarters surrounded by his colored servants and was taken to the private
house of a Union resident, where several days elapsed before signs of return-
ing strength were noticed, the news of which spread rapidly and soon caused
unwisely the sick chamber to be filled with many friends, one of whom,
quietly approaching the bedside, presented two beautiful roses, emblematic
of the colors of the Confederacy, that were destined never to be separated
from those of the American Union.
Invitations announcing the marriage of Miss Sarah F. Pugh to Lieuten-
ant Hamilton on March 3, 1863, brought together at the bride's home a large
gathering of army and naval officers, which the garrison supplemented by
turning out in review and by giving them a national salute upon their arrival
at the principal fort. This compliment the bride, however, was called upon
to return before the close of the month, she having worked night and day in
preparing cartridge bags, using her own clothing and working when shot and
shell came crashing all about and through the very room she was em-
ployed in!
When the heat of the strife had subsided preparations were made to
visit the north, but scarcely had foot been set upon the soil of the Excelsior
state before orders to report for military duty in order to quell the riots then
in progress were given. Here again cartridge bags had to be made, and the
military experience of the bride and groom gave the citizens of Tarrytown
their first opportunity to witness the impromptu manufacture of some very
dangerous ammunition, which fortunately did much toward quelHng the riots.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton four sons and one daughter were born:
Frank, general superintendent of the department of horticulture in the parks
752 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
of New York city; Mary Schuyler Hamilton, teacher at Pocantico Hills,
Westchester county; Philip Lee, foreman for Pierson & Company; Joseph
T., engineer; and John C. , at home.
JOHN J. SLOANE.
The successful conduct of an extensive business enterprise demands
ability and talent of no less pronounced order than that of the poet, the
musician, the inventor or the scientist. Comparatively few are the men who
are capable of handling mammoth business interests. To do this one must
have great energy, keen discrimination and sagacity, perseverance and the
ability to read and understand men. To these innate qualities he must add
tact, courtesy and above all unquestioned integrity, and then ma}' he hope
to stand among the successlul few. While some of these qualities are in a
measure the heritage of the individual they are of no consequence until
brought into the clear light of the utilitarian and practical life; they grow by
exercise, and development comes through effort. It is through the possession
and exercise of these qualities that John J. Sloane has steadily advanced to
the leading position which he occupies in the business circles of Yonkers as
manager for the American Wringer Company.
He was born in the village of Cleator, county of Cumberland, England,
March 24, 1864, his parents being Richard and Ann (McCabe) Sloane. The
father was a mining contractor in the north of England, and was a member
of the society commonly known as the Ancient Order of Foresters. His wife
died May 29, 1891, at the age of forty-six years. They were the parents of
ten children: John J., Elizabeth, Mary, Susan, Agnus, Theresa, Sarah J.,
Rose, Kate and Richard. In 1892 Mr. Richard Sloane, the father, came to
America.
John J. Sloane acquired his education in the parochial schools of Eng-
land, and after laying aside his text-books secured a position as time-keeper
in the mines of England, where he was employed for six years. He after-
ward engaged in mining contracting, which he followed for about twenty
years, during which time he became thoroughly famihar with the business in
every detail. On attaining his majority he crossed the Atlantic to the New
World, locating in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he accepted a position
as clerk in a paint and oil manufactory. In 1886 he removed to Yonkers,
but later spent some time in the south in the employ of a drill company, in
setting up their steam drills. Subsequently he entered the service of the
Metropolitan Manufacturing Company, now the American Wringer Company,
at Yonkers, and has since been connected therewith, having served as mana-
ger of the Yonkers branch of the business since 1888. He has built up an.
^f/iJ^f. P!^(W/^.
O
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 753
extensive trade in this locality, extending as far north 'as Albany, and now
employs forty-five men and nine horses and wagons in the conduct of the
business. He has established four branch stores, located at Newburg, Pough-
keepsie, Kingston and Hudson, doing an annual business of over one hundred
thousand dollars. When Mr. Sloane became manager the business trans-
acted through his department amounted to only about thirty thousand dol-
lars per annum, — a comparison of the two figures plainly indicating his
excellent management. He employs five clerks in his office, his oversight of
the business is continually resulting in an extension of the trade, and he has.
made judicious investments of his earnings in profitable property, owning at
the present time a number of good tenement houses in Yonkers.
On the 8th of November, 1887, Mr. Sloane was united in marriage to'
Miss Margaret M. Stafford, a daughter of Thomas and Jane (Anderson) Staf-
ford, and to them have been born the following named children: Jane,
deceased; Ann; Richard, who died at the age of five years; Jennie and John
Joseph. The family are communicants of St. Mary's Roman Catholic
church. In his political views Mr. Sloane is a stalwart Democrat, and on
various occasions has served as a delegate to the conventions of his party.
In 189,8, at the Democratic county convention, he was chosen as their can-
didate for the assembly, his opponent on the Republican ticket being John
Mulligan, a popular and representative citizen. Mr. Sloane received a sub-
stantial majority over his opponent, having run ahead of his ticket in the
city of Yonkers and Mount Vernon and several other voting districts. He
belongs to various social and fraternal organizations, joined Nepera Tribe,,
No. 186, I. O. R. M., at Yonkers, in 1891; the same evening was appointed
chief of the records; in January, 1892, was elected sachem of the tribe; was
re-elected in 1893, and again in 1895. I" i893 hs was elected a delegate to
the state convention of the order, in Binghamton; in 1894 was sent as a rep-
resentative from the local tribe to the convention in Rochester; in 1895 was
a delegate to New York city and there was elected great representative to.
the great council of the United States and was appointed a member of the
committee on state charters, serving two years. The same year he received,
a handsome gold medal from the Nepera Tribe, I. O. R. M., at Yonkers, as.
a mark of esteem and fellowship. In 1896 he was a delegate to the state
convention in Saratoga, and has attended three sessions of the great con-
vention of the United States, held in Providence, Rhode Island, Minneapolis,
Minnesota, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, respectively. In 1897 he was
elected to the state council at Buffalo, and in 1898 was state delegate to-
Avon Springs, where he was re-elected great representative to the great
council of the United States, held in Indianapolis in September, 1898, and
at Washington in September, 1899. He is also an honored member of the
48
754 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Foresters, of which he has been three times elected chief ranger. He was
also representative to the state lodge in 1897, and was presented with a hand-
some gold badge by the Palisade Lodge, of Yonkers, also sent to the national
meeting of that organization. He is a member of the Benevolent Protective
'Order of Elks of New York city, belongs to the Knights of Honor, was one
of the organizers and a charter member of the I'Cnights of Columbia, and at
present is a deputy grand knight of the order. For three years he was a mem-
ber of the Irving Hose Company. This brief sketch will indicate in a meas-
ure the great activity that has characterized his life, making him a leader in
business, fraternal, political and social circles. He is a man of charming
personality, cordial, genial and entirely approachable, and is very popular
-among an extended circle of friends.
JOHN TATOR.
The subject of this sketch is of Holland descent. His grandfather Tator
was born in Holland and when a young man came to this country and set-
tled in Ghent, Columbia county, New York, or rather, on a large farm near
that place, where he spent the rest of his life. He was a Democrat, filled
a number of local offices, served in the war of 1812, and was in various ways
identified with the best interests of the town and county in which he lived.
He was twice married and had a large family, his children numbering twen-
ty-one. His son Peter, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in
Columbia county. New York, about the year 18 14, and there received a
common-school education and learned the trade of mason. He resided at
Troy, New York, for twenty years, for twenty years lived at Ghent, and in 1880
removed to Yonkers, where he spent the residue of his life and where he died
in 1898, at the age of eighty-four years. His wife, whose maiden name was
Kittie Dunspaugh, and who was of German ancestry, died in 1893, at the age
of seventy-four years. Both he and his father before him were devoted and
consistent members of the Lutheran church. In his family were three chil-
dren, namely: John, whose name initiates this sketch; Mary, wife of Charles
Fuller, city surveyor of Troy, New York, for twenty-five years; and Adaline.
John Tator, the immediate subject of this review, was born in Hudson,
Columbia county. New York, July 12, 1843. In his youth he had the benefit
of the common schools and was also for a time a high-school student. He left
school at sixteen and began making his own way in the world, his first posi-
tion being that of water boy on the New York Central Railroad. Shortly
afterward he became a common laborer on the road, and this occupation was
followed successively by that of fireman for six months, assistant road- mas-
ter for ten years and road-master for fifteen years. For a time he was with
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 755
the Boston & Albany Railroad as foreman. He was also road-master
for the New York & Harlem Railroad. His last railroad work, which occu-
pied his time up to September i, 1898, was for the New York Central Rail-
road Company, from Forty-second street to Poughkeepsie, and in this enter-
prise he had in his employ no less than eight hundred men engaged in con-
struction work. He now has under consideration a proposition to go to
Porto Rico in the employ of a railroad syndicate. His residence is at
Yonkers, Westchester county, where he. has business interests, owning here
a boarding and livery stable, at 44 to 46 School street, and having succeeded
Mr. C. E. O'Dell in this business.
Mr. Tator is a public-spirited and enterprising man, is well posted in
matters of public interest, and gives his support to any and all movements
he believes intended for the public good. Formerly he was a Democrat, but
now affiliates with the Republican party. He is a member of the Knights
of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
February 28, 1864, Mr. Tator was married to Miss Lydia Cipperly,
daughter of John and Hannah (Hayner) Cipperly, and they have a family of
seven children, namely: Frederick, who married Martha Hemingway;
Cora; Grace, the wife of Roswell Jacobus; Hattie, who is the wife of Charles
Brockmier; Edna, wife of Ferris Montgomery; and Kittie and Arthur, who
still remain at the parental home. The family are adherents of the Method-
ist Episcopal church.
GEORGE FRAZIER.
This well known citizen of Yonkers, New York, is noted for his fine
physique and his athletic powers. The family from which he comes was
distinguished for the same qualities, and his sons also are noted athletes.
The history of his life is of interest in this connection.
George Frazier was born in county Monaghan, Ireland, August i, 1833,
son of Isaiah and Hannah (Anderson) Frazier. The paternal grandfather of
Mr. Frazier was a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was a man of great
strength and size, being six feet, five and a half inches in height and weigh-
ing two hundred and eighty pounds. He was in early life a candlemaker and
later a farmer, being successful in both occupations. From Edinburgh he
moved over to Ireland and settled at the birthplace of our subject. His
wife's maiden name was Rebecca McPherson, and she was beneath the aver-
age in size. They were the parents of twelve daughters and three sons,
namely: Richard, Isaiah, John, Rebecca, Hannah, Rachel, Mary Ann,
Elizabeth, Sarah, Jane, Margaret, Catherine, Mary, Ellen and Ann. All
grew to adult age. Grandfather Frazier died in 1842 at the age of seventy-
two years, and grandmother Frazier died two years later at the same age.
756 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Isaiah Frazier, the father of our subject, was born in Edinburgh, Scot-
land, and learned the trade of chandler, in which business his father was
there engaged. He came from Ireland to America in 1844, with his wife
and six children, and located in Parry street, New York city, where he
became engaged in the lime-burning business. Subsequently he removed with
his family to Norwich, Connecticut, to take charge of three large lime-kilns,
and at the time of his death he resided with his son, George, at Yonkers,
New York. He, too, was a man of large proportions and great strength.
He was a Republican, an Orangeman and a member of the Masonic fra-
ternity. Religiously he was a Presbyterian, a zealous and active member of
that church. In his family were three sons and three daughters, viz. : John,
deceased, was a contractor in New York city; Jane, widow of James Cannon,
deceased; Margaret, who died at the age of nineteen years; George, whose
name introduces this sketch; Isaiah, deceased; and Hannah, widow of Will-
iam Cunningham, deceased. The mother of this family died at the age of
forty-five years and the father lived to be ninety-one.
George Frazier, the immediate subject of this review, was a small boy
at the time he was brought by his parents to this country, and his education
was obtained in the public schools of New York city and night school at Nor-
wich, Connecticut. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather,
he learned the trade of soap and candle. making, and from his father learned
a secret and valuable process of clarifying the tallow. For some time he
was in business at Norwich, and became widely known for his superior make
of candles. He subsequently learned the stone-cutting and flagging trade,
in New York city, which he followed as a journeyman for several years and
then engaged in taking contracts for stone work, paving, flagging, etc., which
he has followed ever since. He has carried on a general contracting busi-
ness, including the erecting of buildings, street, bridge and dock work and
yacht building. He built the yacht Montana Jack for his son, which won
the pennant in three successive races in one season. His contracting busi-
ness affords employment for no less than two hundred and fifty men, and he
has had at one time as many as sixty-five brown-stone cutters. His con-
tracts have included some of the heaviest street work in the. city of Yonkers,
among which may be mentioned the greater part of Main street, and Nepper-
han avenue from Yonkers to the old village Hmits. He built the fronts to-
the Yonkers Savings Bank and the Westminster Presbyterian church. He
also built the Lawrence dock, which he owned and which he sold to William
Frederick Lawrence. From time to time he has invested in real estate and
has extensive realty holdings.
Politically, Mr. Frazier is a Republican. He cast his first vote for
President Lincoln and has ever since been in harmony with the principles-
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 757
advocated by this party. Fraternally, he is identified with the Masonic
fraternity, maintaining membership in Rising Star Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Nep-
perhan Chapter, R. A. M. ; and Yonkers Commandery, K. T.
Mr. Frazier was formerly a member of the Yonkers Curling Club, but
resigned in 1895 and started the Van Cortland Club, of which he is a mem-
ber at present. He became a curler thirty years ago, and won the title of
champion curler of Amer